ERMELO – For months now, acts of theft, vandalism and alleged sabotage has run rife, crippling the already strained Msukaligwa Local Municipality’s power grid.

According to Mr Athol Stark, the chief coordinator of Highveld Tourism Mpumalanga, the municipality is suffering huge losses due to damage to its infrastructure.

“This is being done on purpose to destabilise the municipality and to create anger and frustration among the community towards the municipality,” he claimed.

“A political purpose should also not be ruled out of the equation.”

Mr Stark reported that over the last few weeks, about 24 neutral cables had been stolen from transformers, the value of which is so minuscule that it suggests only one thing to him – sabotage.

He said that when the neutral cable is removed from a transformer, this might cause fluctuations in the electrical flow.

“Basically, the neutral controls the flow of electricity to and from the transformer, so residents might experience that the electricity to their households will be either very low or very high.

“Surges in the electricity will inevitably cause damage to appliances.”

The most recent incident in which a neutral cable was stolen, happened at the kiosk at Donna Bella in 49 West Street.

Read more about this in the Highvelder Newspaper.