Eskom offices in Ivory Park hit with ‘violent’ protest action
IVORY PARK – The power utility says their Ivory Park offices have been hit by disruptions, intimidation and even employees held hostage by allegedly Gauteng residents protesting against power cuts.
Gauteng residents in Braamfischer, Klipspruit, Ivory Park, Orange Farm and Winterveldt embarked on protest action at Eskom offices across Gauteng, protesting against cut power supply in their areas for non-payment.
Ronel Kotze stakeholder and media relations officer at Eskom said, “The members of various communities in the abovementioned areas and other identified hotspot areas, bypass their meters, illegally connect themselves to the network and vandalise electricity infrastructure, which leads to sporadic power supply interruptions.”
The state power utility said they are concerned by the increasing number of incidents where their offices are blocked, at times employees are assaulted, intimated and in the worst cases are held hostage by some community members. Kotze added, “The safety of Eskom employees remains a major concern at this stage, and these cases have been reported to the law enforcement agencies for further investigation.”
Eskom said they are not in a position to continue to replace mini substations and pole-mounted transformers especially in areas where residents are not paying for their electricity. “Non-payment of electricity does not only impact on the security of supply for paying customers but also contribute to increased energy and revenue losses coupled with increased operational costs. ”
They have decided to withdraw services in such areas as a temporary solution until it is declared safe for their employees and for operations to resume.
Eskom’s operations and maintenance manager Motlhabane Ramashi concluded, “We would like to condemn violent behaviour and urge our communities to collaborate with Eskom and their respective councillors to deal adequately with electricity-related matters in the Gauteng Operating Unit.”
Related articles:
Nico de Jager urges Eskom leadership to focus on stabilising the ailing power utility
