Vandalism leaves parts of town without electricity:
Mlungisi Khumalo, Head of Communications for the Newcastle Municipality, has confirmed that parts of Madadeni and Osizweni were left without power due to vandalism at several Eskom Substations throughout KwaZulu-Natal.
According to a national news report, Eskom officials stated that its technicians had been working around the clock to restore power after equipment at the Blaauwbosch, Duckpond, and Stafford substations was damaged over the past weekend.
Eskom has apologized for the inconvenience and expressed appreciation to residents for their patience.
Customers were also advised to contact Eskom at 08600 37566 for more information or updates on the outages.
Eskom’s general manager for KZN and Free State, Agnes Mlambo, stated that the incidents had been reported to the police.
“Eskom appeals to the communities in these areas to come forward with information that may aid in the apprehending of the perpetrators,” she said.
Mlambo urged the public to assist in the fight against infrastructure theft, vandalism, illegal connections, and other forms of electricity theft by reporting any of these criminal activities to the Eskom crime line at 0800 112 722.