Frustrated with the impact of the ongoing electricity outages in their community, residents are now appealing to their electricity service providers to assist them in safeguarding the infrastructure.
Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Alexandra Abrahams, has laid six criminal charges of malicious damage to Eskom property and theft in Belhar, Cape Town, on Thursday.
The charge was laid after consultation with Eskom and with the assistance of Eskom officials.
In Belhar, criminal elements have repeatedly targeted critical Eskom infrastructure, causing prolonged power outages affecting major portions of the neighbourhood.
A recurring issue involves the destruction of Eskom kiosks, which criminals set on fire to access and steal underground cabling, with over 50 similar occurrences documented so far.
