The uMhlathuze municipality has said residents are facing repeated power outages due to rising vandalism and sabotage of electricity infrastructure. The Aquila substation was vandalised for a second time on Thursday.
Image: City of uMhlathuze
Residents of the City of uMhlathuze continue to face repeated power outages as municipal leaders warn of escalating vandalism of electricity infrastructure, while political leaders within the municipality have raised concerns about possible coordinated sabotage.
In two media statements issued this month, Mayor Xolani Ngwezi detailed successive attacks on substations in Richards Bay and Empangeni, describing the damage as extensive and disruptive to multiple communities.
The most recent incident, at the Aquila substation, left the Arboretum area without electricity.
“It is quite clear that there are individuals who are determined to sabotage our infrastructure,” Ngwezi said. “We have put in place a number of security measures to safeguard our substations.”
Earlier, the municipality reported vandalism at the Vega substation, affecting Birdswood, Mandlazini, Veld en Vlei, and parts of Wildenweide. Ngwezi described that incident as “a direct act of sabotage” and said authorities believed it “may involve a criminal syndicate”.
The city has linked the attacks to a broader pattern of infrastructure vandalism in the Empangeni area.
In a separate development, three men were arrested after being found in possession of stolen municipal electrical cables in Alton. One of the suspects was an employee of a security company contracted by the municipality.
“These arrests will help law enforcement authorities to get to the bottom of what appears to be a syndicate,” Ngwezi said, while urging residents to assist police by reporting suspicious activity.
However, uMhlathuze Deputy Mayor and Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate Christo Botha has gone further, describing the incidents as part of a broader and deliberate campaign.
“The City of uMhlathuze is facing a deliberate and coordinated campaign of sabotage targeting critical electrical infrastructure, particularly power substations,” Botha said.
“These are not isolated criminal acts, they are calculated attacks aimed at collapsing service delivery and destabilising the municipality.”
Botha said the pattern of attacks was “undeniable”, adding that the “frequency, intensity, and targeting of key infrastructure have escalated significantly”.
He further linked the timing of the incidents to political developments ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
“The frequency, intensity, and targeting of key infrastructure have escalated significantly following the announcement of Councillor Christo Botha as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for the 2026 Local Government Elections. This raises serious and unavoidable questions,” he said.
Botha also raised concerns about potential internal involvement.
“There is a growing and deeply concerning possibility that certain elements including individuals with inside knowledge, potentially even within municipal structures, are complicit in these acts, with the intention of engineering public frustration to influence political outcomes,” he said.
He described the attacks as having direct consequences for residents and businesses.
“Every act of infrastructure vandalism plunges families into darkness, cripples local businesses, threatens jobs, and undermines the economic stability of our city,” Botha said.
Calling the perpetrators “economic saboteurs”, Botha added: “This is not politics, this is sabotage against the people.”
He said the municipality would escalate its response through “intensified security deployment at critical substations”, expanded cooperation with law enforcement and intelligence structures, and the fast-tracking of additional monitoring technologies.
“We will identify, expose, and ensure the full prosecution of those responsible, including any insiders who betray the public trust,” Botha said.
Municipal teams remain on the ground working to restore electricity, with Ngwezi reiterating that efforts are ongoing.
“Our teams will be working around the clock to have electricity restored as quickly as possible,” he said.
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