Eskom blasts ‘brazen’ infrastructure theft after Somerset Mall blackout
· Citizen
Eskom has slammed the “brazen theft and vandalism” of high‑voltage infrastructure that has plunged Somerset Mall and nearby industrial customers into a three‑day blackout.
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Theft of high-voltage electrical infrastructure caused extensive damage to the network, resulting in prolonged outages, business disruption, financial losses, and inconvenience to customers, Eskom said on Tuesday.
Theft and vandalism
Eskom said technicians raced to restore power by Wednesday evening.
“Eskom strongly condemns the theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure that has left Somerset Mall and surrounding industrial customers without power for the past three days. Eskom technical teams are working around the clock to repair the damaged infrastructure and restore supply as safely and quickly as possible.”
ETR
The utility said the estimated time of restoration (ETR) is 6pm on Wednesday, 15 July 2026.
Eskom has intensified its anti-crime campaign launched in 2024 under the slogan Hands Off! to ensure appropriate action is taken against those responsible for theft and vandalism.
“As part of the Hands Off! campaign, we urge customers to report suspicious activities and has implemented initiatives aimed at supporting investigations and arrests linked to these crimes,” Eskom said.
Crime
The utility added that electrical infrastructure theft and vandalism are serious crimes that affect entire communities and undermine economic activity.
“Failure to address theft, vandalism and illegal connections continues to compromise service delivery and negatively affect the lives and livelihoods of thousands of customers.
“Members of the public can report incidents by contacting the Eskom Toll-Free Crime Hotline 0800 11 27 22 or the local SAPS. Callers may remain anonymous,” Eskom said.
Eskom apologised to all affected customers for the inconvenience and thanked them for their patience while repairs continue.
Khayelitsha outage
Earlier this week, Eskom restored power to all Khayelitsha customers after last week’s outage, but warned that illegal connections, theft and vandalism remain a serious threat to network stability and community service delivery.
Khayelitsha was plunged into darkness on Thursday following several issues, including illegal connections, leaving residents angry and frustrated.