[ad_1]
By IOL Reporter 
12h ago
Durban: Disgruntled contractors from the eThekwini Municipality set fire to several electrical substations in Durban after their contracts were not renewed.
Thousands of taxpayers were left without power in various Durban suburbs on Monday after substations caught fire.
Substations disrupted and burned include Overport, Westville, Mayville and KwaMashu.
According to various posts on social media, the acts of sabotage were the result of the City terminating the contracts of some electrical contractors.
However, the city has denied it.
Ethekwini Municipality Spokesperson Mswawakhe Mayisela confirmed to IOL that there were “multiple acts of sabotage by subcontractors of city-wide infrastructure.”
He said that several substations were raided, vandalized, shut down, and some of them set on fire, leading to multiple power outages across the city.
“Thousands of customers were without power and the cost of damage to infrastructure is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of rand,” Mayisela said.
“The damage to the much-needed infrastructure was an act of sabotage by subcontractors dissatisfied with the contractual agreements negotiated between the main contractor and the Municipality. The perpetrators have been identified and will face criminal charges and blacklists by the Municipality. Anyone who sees himself perpetuating more damage to infrastructure will face the same power, “he said.
Mayisela said that contrary to social media reports, no contracts were terminated.
However, he confirmed that the contract would end next month.
“The Municipality only has a legal relationship with the main contractor. It is the responsibility of the contractor to communicate to the subcontractors any necessary information at the moment, ”said Mayisela.
Daily News
[ad_2]
