TELKOM has offered R500 000 reward for information on business sabotage after a number of Telkom facilities around the country were targeted in a series of acts of sabotage on Wednesday, 17 August
Facilities in Pinetown, Midrand, Pretoria West, Silverton, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Makhado and Messina, were sabotaged. The Highway Mail was one of the Pinetown businesses affected.
Jacqui O’Sullivan, Telkom Group Executive for communication said this was not vandalism.
“The criminals who damaged our property knew what they were doing. Cables have been cut to cause maximum damage. Entire street distribution cabinets, which are located in neighbourhoods to serve multiple streets at a time, have been ripped apart and in a few instances, set on fire,” she said.
“At some sites, specialist equipment was required to access the fibre cables and the criminals were clearly using equipment that is not commonly available.”
The SAPS, with support from additional investigators and Telkom’s own forensics team, are currently pursuing a number of good leads to identify these saboteurs.
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Telkom’s Group CEO, Sipho Maseko, announced a R500 000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the saboteurs.
This reward is available to any person either within Telkom, or a member of the public with pertinent information. Telkom has asked that any person with information related to these crimes please contact the Telkom crime reporting line on 0800 124 000.
“We apologise to our customers who have been inconvenienced by this senseless sabotage. We are working to repair the damage as quickly as possible,” added O’Sullivan.
On Monday, 15 August, members of the Communication Worker’s Union (CWU) blockaded access to Telkom offices and facilities. Employees were barred from entering the Telkom Campus in Centurion and were intimidated and threatened.
Telkom secured an urgent interim order to interdict the union from illegal activities such as blockading entrances to facilities and offices and intimidating staff. The interdict also instructed that CWU members who are participating in the strike, must do so 50 meters away from Telkom premises. The union is demanding an 11 per cent increase for all bargaining unit employees.
