King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality (KSD) executive mayor, Nyaniso Nelani, has expressed deep concern after recent incidents of sabotage on municipal electricity infrastructure.
This comes after a series of reports where alleged perpetrators were caught on camera burning and bombing electricity infrastructure in several areas across town.
Nelani’s office said this was a critical concern as these acts take place at night and further expose communities to danger.
“These deliberate acts of damage do not only undermine the municipality’s efforts to improve the stability of the infrastructure, but also harm our customers by depriving them of electricity services.”
“Not only do these acts harm our customers, but they also impose unnecessary maintenance costs on the municipality,” said Nelani’s spokesperson Olwethu Mabovula.
Mabovula added that the municipality was losing about R20 million per annum on repairs and replacement of damaged equipment, such as kiosks, mini substations, transformers, and cables.
“This is a significant amount of money that stretches the municipality’s budget for maintenance and repairs and could result in tariff increases for customers. The executive mayor emphasises that KSD customers deserve reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply,’ she added.
To remedy the current disruptions, the municipality is working tirelessly to reduce the frequency and duration of electricity interruptions. However, these deliberate acts are counteracting our efforts.
The municipality has expressed gratitude to the community members who have already supported the municipality by providing information about these incidents.
“This information has been valuable in understanding the situation. We urge more community members to come forward and assist the municipality in providing information that could lead to the arrest of these perpetrators,” Mabovula said.
Community members are urged to contact the municipal call centre on 047 495 1037 anytime of the day whenever they have information on acts of sabotage to municipal infrastructure.
