Eskom leaves communities without service in parts of Gauteng
Eskom has withdrawn its services in parts of Gauteng
following a series of violent protests.
This comes after residents barricaded roads, burned tires, and threw stones at Eskom employees in several areas including Diepkloof and Zola.
Spokesperson for Eskom in Gauteng, Amanda Qithi says the protests impacted the work that was trying to be done.
“Eskom employees were prevented from accessing the power utility’s offices at Diepkloof, Ga-Rankuwa, Mnandi, Robinson and Zola customer network center,” says Qithi.
“These activities impact on Eskom’s ability to restore supply in affected areas.”
Qithi says members in these communities are a part of identified hotspots for illegal connections.
“Members of various communities in these areas and others identified as hot spots, bypass their meters, illegally connect themselves to the network and vandalise the electricity infrastructure which leads to power supply interruptions.”
"The intimidation of the employees and in some cases threats on the lives, have pushed Eskom to withdraw it services until they deem it safe," says Qithi.
ALSO READ:
