POWER utility, Eskom, has launched the Community Cooperatives Initiative, a concept that aims at encouraging communities, and other stakeholders, to actively participate in combating electricity theft and damage to valuable electricity infrastructure.
The concept was officially launched in Butterworth, in the Mnquma Local Municipality, on May 24.
Eskom says Butterworth is one of the hot-spots for electricity theft and vandalism of their infrastructure.
Eskom distribution group executive, Monde Bala, said the Community Cooperatives Initiative was currently being piloted in Mnquma Local Municipality and would be gradually rolled out nationwide as time goes on.
“We realised that, just working by ourselves, we were not winning the battle in combating electricity theft and vandalism. The Community Cooperatives Initiative programme is aimed at joining hands with all the affected stakeholders to try to deal with the problem and we are hoping that the programme will help us decisively deal with electricity theft and vandalism to our infrastructure,” said Bala.
Apart from community participation, the newly launched programme also involves local businesses and law enforcement agencies.
As part of the programme launch, Eskom executives also visited the Ronnie Pook Substation in Butterworth, which is a clear example of the rampant theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure in the area.
The substation has, since 2018, been stripped bare of its electricity cables and transformers and has since been decommissioned by Eskom.
Eskom Cape coastal cluster acting general manager, Mbulelo Yedwa, warned that Butterworth faced the possibility of having no substation to supply electricity to its residents if the theft and vandalism were not urgently attended to.
“Since 2018, Eskom has lost millions due to theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure. This problem continues unabated and is now threatening the remaining infrastructure in the area,” Yedwa cautioned.
Eskom revealed that another substation was also not operational in the Butterworth area due to vandalism and residents who used to get electricity from the two substations had to be connected on other substations, which was putting huge pressure on the remaining substations.
Mnquma Local Municipality Executive Mayor, Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa, said the municipality was also concerned about the rampant vandalism of electricity infrastructure in the area, while also pledging the municipality to support the programme launched by Eskom to ensure tangible results.
“We are currently experiencing load reduction due to the high pressure on our remaining substations and there are frequent electricity outages because of this vandalism.
“This also has a negative impact on our infrastructure and delivery of services as even water supply is negatively affected as water pumps cannot work when there is no electricity,” Manxila-Nkamisa said.
Eskom said, as part of the Community Cooperatives Initiative programme launch, they had contracted a company to conduct home visits to crack down on tampering with their electricity meters.
A public awareness campaign was held at Msobomvu sports field in Butterworth as part of the programme launch, which was attended by hundreds of residents from various areas in Butterworth, Ngqamakwe and Centane.
