R28 million electricity infrastructure damaged in Mpumalanga

Unknown people have completely damaged a R28 million electricity infrastructure that assists with the pumping of water during rolling blackouts in KaNyamazane in Mpumalanga.

The infrastructure was built to supply electricity to water treatment plants of Kanyamazane and Karino.

Eskom and the City of Mbombela agreed to exempt the infrastructure from  and surrounding villages.

The Mayor of City of Mbombela, Sibongile Makhushe-Mazibuko, says they are disappointed about the damage to infrastructure.

“We came up with a plan and sat with Eskom and decided that with the load shedding that has been going on perhaps it might come back at the later stage because when there’s load shedding our people don’t get water because we can’t pump.”

“We sat down with Eskom to say let’s have a dedicated line, a line that would not be loadshed, so that we can continue to pump 24hrs. This project was set to be completed in December. We have changed because of the vandalism that has been happening because they have been cutting down the poles we changed to February but continue cutting,” adds Makhushe-Mazibuko.