Cape Town - Eskom has suspended its services in Khayelitsha’s Endlovini informal settlement, following a hostage incident involving one of its contractors.
Eskom spokesperson, Zama Mpondwana, said the contractor was dealing with a transformer that was overloaded with multiple illegal connections on Saturday morning.
“The contractor was held hostage during an operation and was busy with illegal connections overloading an Eskom transformer,” he said.
Mpondwana said the safety of their employees is a priority.
“The suspension of services is to safeguard Eskom technicians and reassess safety measures before resuming any further operations in the area,” he said
He explained that the incident highlights the ongoing risks associated with illegal electricity connections, which not only affect the quality of power supply but also endanger lives.
“Eskom technicians are repeatedly called out to remove the illegal connections and restore electricity supply in the area,” Mpondwana said.
“However, once repairs are completed and electricity supply is restored, the illegal connections are replaced as soon as technicians leave the area.”
Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi, said no formal case has been filed for further investigation.
He said the victims involved were taken to Harare SAPS and left the area without any request for a criminal case.
“Kindly be advised that the mentioned persons cited in your enquiry arrived at Harare SAPS and was escorted out of the area.
“The complainant never requested the registration of a criminal case for further investigation,” Swartbooi said.
The Provincial Community Policing Forum (CPF) board said it was not the first time Eskom staff have faced attacks in an informal settlement.
CPF board spokesperson, Rafique Foflonker, expressed that Eskom’s withdrawal of services is a major setback for the local community.
“What are they going to do without power. It is a major security risk now, not to mention the social inconvenience,” he said.
“With those elements attacking Eskom workers, it’s a significant impact and knock-on, on crime,” he added.
Meanwhile, Eskom also noted that overloaded transformers can lead to serious hazards like electrical fires and power outages, making the already challenging energy situation in the region even worse.
Foflonker is now urging locals to report any criminal activities, especially those targeting service workers.
“The community has to get involved to identify who these criminal elements are who are attacking these services,” he said.
Mpondwana is also encouraging residents to report any suspicious behaviour related to theft or vandalism of electrical infrastructure to the proper authorities or to call the Eskom crime line at 0800 11 27 22, or SAPS.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za
Cape Argus