Eskom Warns of Prolonged Power Outage in Nkanini Following Incident with Technicians

Eskom has drastically withdrawn its services from Nkanini, Khayelitsha following the robbery incident that occurred after the power utility company deployed their technicians to the town on Friday and were robbed at gunpoint while the other technician got hijacked.

Amid the town’s dire electricity situation, Eskom revealed that the town may face a prolonged period of power outage without  restoration due to the recent robbery targeting their technicians. The company asserted that the safety of their employees is non negotiable, thus the need to withdraw their services from Nkanini. This radical move has left many residents in Nkanini with no electricity and might have to further endure that.

According to Eskom, the company’s senior management has merged with the Harare and Makhaza branches of the South African Police Services, while discussions are underway with the local community leaders to bring forward strategies that will ensure the safety of their staff. However, the company sustained its position to resume operations in the area once the safety issues identified have been addressed and satisfactory measures put in place.

Eskom has revealed that this is not the first time that this has happened to their technicians in the area, with prior reports of assault, robbery and hijacking. The power utility reiterated its utmost commitment to ensuring the safety of their workforce, stating “The safety of employees and contractors is of paramount importance and if acts of harassment continue then Eskom will focus its efforts on supplying electricity to areas where employee safety can be assured.”

Eskom’s extreme approach did not sit well with the town’s councillor, Ayanda Tetani, who expressed his concern to the utility company. The councillor noted that the utility’s technicians went into the area without notifying the local authorities and community leaders of their arrival, which would impede efforts to secure the organization’s workforce during their time of work. The councillor further purported that the perpetrators may be the same people who have been targeting the utility’s technicians in prior incidents. Tetani denounced Eskom’s withdrawal of services from Nkanini, highlighting how unfair this would be on residents who had no part in these criminal activities. Nkanini’s residents were urged to unite in opposing crime and to report any unlawful actions targeting the utility’s staff and infrastructure.

The ongoing suspension has left many Nkanini residents struggling without power, with some reporting outages lasting over two weeks. Eskom apologized for the delays and reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the crisis but maintained that safety measures must take precedence before operations resume.