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Eskom fears for the safety of staff after two violent incidents occurred involving Eskom vehicles. The first vehicle was stoned and set alight by protestors in Khayelitsha. The driver managed to escape unharmed. The second vehicle was stoned in the Bardale area in Mfuleni. The employees managed to escape both incidents unharmed and evacuated the area safely.

The current violent protests around Cape Town are allegedly due to the recent spike in land invasions.

“Eskom strongly condemns the harassment of its employees who are simply carrying out their duties. We have taken the decision to withdraw all Eskom services to parts of Khayelitsha and the entire Bardale area in Mfuleni. Unfortunately customer faults will not be attended to until these areas are declared safe for Eskom to return,” stated Alwie Lester, General Manager for Distribution, Western Cape.

The parts of Khayelitsha where services have been withdrawn are:

Sections A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; RR, DD, DT and BM

Thembani;

Khwezi;

Bongweni;

Site B;

Site C;

Eskom is working closely with the local SAPS and Eskom Security Services to ensure the safety of its staff, while working in these areas.

We emphasize our call to the community to support Eskom and report incidents by contacting the Eskom Toll-Free Crime Hotline 0800 11 27 22 or SMS Crime Line on 32211. Callers may remain anonymous.

Issued by Eskom