The King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality’s electricity infrastructure crisis could soon come under the scrutiny of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) after UDM president Bantu Holomisa raised the alarm over a suspected organised network behind the destruction of substations in Mthatha.
Holomisa has asked the SIU to urgently investigate the burning, vandalism and destruction of municipal mini-substations, including whether companies or individuals could be benefiting from contracts awarded after infrastructure was damaged.
On Monday, SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho confirmed the unit had received Holomisa’s letter requesting an urgent intervention regarding what appeared to be a sustained and organised pattern of attacks against electricity infrastructure in Mthatha, particularly the deliberate burning, destruction and vandalism of municipal mini-substations and related electrical infrastructure.
Makgotho said the letter was under assessment.
“The SIU has responded to the letter, reaffirming its commitment to collaborate with various stakeholders, guided solely by its mandate and its capacity to act on matters that fall within it,” he said.
Holomisa also wrote to acting police minister Feroz Cachalia, requesting a crime intelligence-led and intergovernmental intervention into what he described as the systematic destruction of electricity infrastructure.
Cachalia’s spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, confirmed that the letter had been received by the private office but had not yet been presented to the minister.
The Dispatch has reported extensively on the vandalism, which has cost KSD millions of rand in repairs while leaving residents and businesses without reliable electricity.
In his letter to the SIU, Holomisa called for an investigation into whether companies contracted for security, repairs, maintenance or replacement work had any links to the affected infrastructure or incidents.
He also wants the unit to establish whether the same companies or individuals repeatedly benefit from contracts following infrastructure destruction and whether emergency procurement, deviations or other urgent processes have been used repeatedly.
The investigation, he said, should determine whether such procurement complied with the Public Finance Management Act and Municipal Finance Management Act.
Holomisa further asked the SIU to examine invoices for emergency repairs, security and replacement work to establish whether they accurately reflected services rendered and whether there were any duplicate, inflated or otherwise irregular claims.
The probe should also look for conflicts of interest involving municipal officials, contractors, suppliers and security providers, as well as whether sensitive information about damaged or newly installed infrastructure, replacement schedules and security arrangements had been improperly disclosed.
He urged police to establish whether the attacks were part of a co-rdinated criminal network and to identify individuals, businesses, intermediaries and others involved.
The investigation should also examine whether the same people, vehicles, methods or networks appeared across different incidents, the source and destination of stolen components and whether there was an organised market for the stolen material.
Holomisa said the destruction had become too costly to be treated as isolated incidents.
“The destruction of electricity infrastructure in Mthatha cannot be allowed to become normalised,” he said.
“Every substation destroyed represents a direct financial loss to the public, but more importantly, it represents the destruction of infrastructure upon which communities, businesses, learners and households depend.
“The publicly reported more than R34m in repair costs since January 2026, together with the information concerning 15 substations allegedly destroyed since April at an estimated replacement cost of R3m each, demonstrates the scale and urgency of the matter.”
He said if the figures were confirmed, the replacement value alone would be about R45m, excluding the wider economic and social costs of the outages.
“It is therefore necessary to investigate not only those who physically destroy the infrastructure, but also the broader ecosystem that may enable or benefit from these attacks,” Holomisa said.
Meanwhile, a joint operation involving KSD law enforcement, the Hawks and the OR Tambo district police task team last week resulted in the arrest of nine suspects aged between 20 and 30 in connection with the burning and vandalism of KSD mini-substations.
KSD spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza said one of those arrested was already wanted by police in connection with the incidents.
“The operation and investigation are continuing,” he said.
Mampoza said mayor Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo welcomed the arrests and appealed to residents to report suspicious activity.
“We are suspecting a syndicate that is hell-bent to destroy infrastructure and it is also inconveniencing households, businesses and other institutions to make the municipality always be blamed for power failure,” he said.
“Hence, the executive mayor is making a commitment. Investigation is under way. Anyone found guilty will face the full might of the law.”