Monday,
20 July 2010: 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parts of Khayelitsha where services have been withdrawn are: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.
ENDS