Johannesburg - Power utility Eskom has raised concerns over acts of intimidation, harassment and violence meted out against its technicians who are attempting to rid communities of dangerous illegal connections.
The latest incident came after the power utility with the assistance of the police arrested four people during a door-to-door audit in the community of Kagisanong View in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria.
The group was arrested by the police after it was found that they had illegally connected to an Eskom transformer at the Ga-rankuwa industrial area.
In a statement, Eskom said the arrests came after a joint operation conducted on Monday alongside the police, members of the Public Order Police (POP), as well as a private security company, who found that an entire neighbourhood had a self-built illegal electricity network connected to four Eskom transformers in the area.
As technicians attempted to remove the connections, the community mobilised, forcing the teams to leave the area for their safety, as residents became violent and attempted to prevent the employees from leaving.
As a result of the tensions, Eskom said its employees had to be escorted to safety by the police, while members of a private security company went to the industrial area where they removed the illegal connections.
The utility stressed though that it was worried about a disturbing video circulating on social media depicting exposed wires illegally connected to the grid in the same area.
Eskom spokesperson Amanda Qithi said the utility was giving this matter the urgency and attention it required.
"It is very concerning that the community followed the team to the industrial area with the intention of preventing them from removing the illegal connections, and later proceeded to the Eskom Ga-Rankuwa offices. For the safety of the employees, they were all evacuated from the building before the crowd reached the offices.
"Eskom condemns the harassment and intimidation often experienced by its employees while driving and operating across Gauteng. The safety of Eskom employees remains a major concern, and as such the Ga-rankuwa offices will remain closed until Eskom deems it safe for operations," the statement read.
During Electricity Safety Month in August, the power utility stressed that the rise of illegal connections resulted in overpowering the electrical system, posing life-threatening consequences to innocent individuals, families, and the community, as well as livestock and wildlife that encountered the connection.
Senior Manager for Occupational Health and Safety at Eskom, Miranda Moahlodi, said that so far this year 15 people had lost their lives as a result of coming into contact with electricity, with a further 147 people suffering electricity-related injuries.
Moahlodi saidthe Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo reported the most cases.
The Star