Workers at several Eskom power stations in Mpumalanga want SA National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers to do more to protect the utility's infrastructure.
"They should be inside the premises and guarding the property inside as well," said an employee at Duvha power station.
"We have had an incident where there was an attempt to steal copper cables while the army was here. So, their presence has not helped much."
Another employee said the soldiers do not guard "essential" property such as units and plants.
''Since they have arrived, there has not been any difference. They are only visible in the morning at the main gate but during the day and at night, we never see them guarding the plants or patrolling inside the premises,’’ said the employee.
"The only time you see them inside the premises of the station is when they are going to their hall where they are sleeping or at the tuck shop to buy food. I think these people are on vacation," added the employee.
Four soldiers in uniform were spotted entering Duvha power station through the reception area. Two of them were armed with guns.
A union leader at Duvha said night time is the opportune moment for vandals to steal copper cables at the station.
"The criminals who steal cables from stations operate mostly during the night because there are less people on site. It is rare that perpetrators will come and vandalise the station during the day because there are workers here," he said.
Another union leader at Kendal said workers were scared for their lives due to the rising incidents of cable theft at the stations.
"Employees will feel better if the soldiers would be present during the night and guard units and plants. Some units and plants are located in dark areas and employees tend to go there to change a cable when they are on duty.
"Workers will feel safer if soldiers escort them to these areas because workers get scared when they go to these places alone,’’ he said.
On Friday, Sowetan visited Duvha, Kriel and Kendal power stations where members of the SANDF were deployed in December by President Cyril Ramaphosa to assist in alleviating acts of crime and sabotage.
The troops were first placed at Majuba, Camden, Grootvlei and Tutuka power stations in Mpumalanga and later Kriel, Duvha and Kendal.
Last week, Business Day reported that there was a suspected case of copper theft at Duvha, two similar cases at Kendal in December, an attempted copper cable theft at Tutuka and theft of cable from an air quality monitoring system at Camden.
Three armed soldiers were seen stationed outside Kendal power station.
A soldier at one of the power stations Sowetan visited who spoke on condition of anonymity said their task is to guard the main entrance of the station and not go inside due to "national key point protocol".
The soldier said they were deployed at the station since January 1 and no incidents had taken place.
"We go to the property in groups of three for four hours. After that, we make way for another group to come and guard the entrance. We are here to show visibility and try to remove fear from Eskom employees," he said.
At Kriel power station security could be seen manning the entrance.
An employee at Duvha power station who spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity said members of the army only guard the main entrance of the power station.
"The army is always here. They always stand by the main gate in groups of three and guard it. It is a good thing to have them stationed at the gate but they should be doing more."
kokam@sowetan.co.za
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