One incident happened in Sebokeng and the other in Orange Farm. The employees were later released safely by the police and Eskom security personnel.
The Eskom technicians were dispatched to attend to two separate faults when they were accosted and held hostage by some of the community members in areas where illegal operators tripped the line while they were busy with illegal activities. The communities in these areas of Sebokeng and Orange Farm forced the Eskom employees to switch their electricity back on.
“Our security personnel reported both incidents to the South African Police Service (SAPS) who attended to the scenes and rescued the two technicians safely. We are grateful that the employees were evacuated unharmed”, says Motlhabane Ramashi, Senior Manager in the Gauteng Operating Unit.
“We condemn violent behaviour as we continue to provide essential service during this national lockdown period. We also urge our communities to cooperate with Eskom to deal adequately with electricity-related matters in the Gauteng Operating Unit”, Ramashi concluded.
