Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English by Luan Snyders
The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes with serious concern reports of a hostage situation involving electrical personnel at the Waterkloof Substation in Rustenburg.
This alarming incident raises serious questions about the safety and security of municipal electrical teams who are expected to respond to outages, faults, and infrastructure failures, often under dangerous conditions and during after-hours operations.
Municipal employees tasked with maintaining critical electricity infrastructure should never be placed in situations where their lives and safety are at risk while carrying out essential duties on behalf of residents.
Beyond the immediate danger to workers, incidents of this nature also directly affect service delivery. When electrical teams are unable to safely access substations and affected infrastructure, the restoration of electricity is delayed, leaving residents and businesses exposed to prolonged outages and further disruption.
The DA therefore calls on the Municipal Manager, Adv. Ashmar Khuduge, to urgently intervene and ensure that adequate measures are put in place to protect municipal electrical personnel operating in high-risk environments.
This must include:
- A full security risk assessment at substations and key electrical infrastructure sites;
- Strengthened security presence during after-hours callouts;
- Clear operational protocols to prevent teams from being dispatched into unsafe situations without adequate protection; and
- Urgent engagement with law enforcement agencies to prevent further criminal intimidation targeting municipal workers and infrastructure.
The DA believes that reliable service delivery can only be achieved when frontline workers are properly supported, protected, and equipped to perform their duties safely.
No municipal employee should ever have to choose between serving the community and returning home safely to their families.
The DA will continue to monitor this matter closely and push for decisive action to ensure both the safety of municipal workers and the protection of critical infrastructure in Rustenburg.