"Eskom has restored power to most parts of Chiawelo and will restore power to the remaining areas once it is safe to do so. This follows violent action yesterday, which focused on the tamper-proof meters that Eskom had installed in the area four years ago as part of a programme aimed at combating electricity theft."
Last week, 115 of 4000 meters that had been installed in 2007 were vandalised. The tamper-proof meters, known as "split meters", and the steel enclosures in which they are housed are part of a pilot programme designed to curb electricity theft and provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity to the residents of Soweto. They were installed in consultation with the local community.
"When Eskom returned yesterday [Tuesday] to repair the damaged meters, a small group of people resorted to violent protest, setting fire to property belonging to local ward councillors and their relatives," said Eskom.
Eskom technicians then withdrew from Soweto under police escort after they were threatened. The parastatal was forced to switch off a circuit feeding the Chiawelo area, cutting off power to hundreds of residents.
"Over 90 percent of Chiawelo households pay for their electricity, and Eskom regrets that many of those whose power it was forced to cut are paying customers who are legally connected," said Eskom, adding that it will restore power to those households where power is yet to be restored.
According to the parastatal, since the project was implemented, there have been no unplanned outages in Chiawelo, no public fatalities, and no safety incidents in the electricity distribution network in the area.
Eskom condemned the violent conduct in Chiawelo and urged communities and their leaders to work with the company to ensure that safe and reliable electricity services can be delivered for all.