President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 880 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members to safeguard several Eskom power stations around the country.

The President has informed Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Amos Masondo, in writing.

According to the statement released on Saturday, the soldiers work with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order in the Republic of South Africa under Operation Prosper.

“Members of the SANDF employed will assist the SAPS in protecting Eskom power stations around the country where sabotage, theft and other crimes may threaten the functioning of power stations and the supply of electricity.”

The deployment is from 17 April 2023 to 17 October 2023.

Previously, the Presidency said 2 700 members of the SANDF were employed to assist the SAPS in protecting Eskom power stations under Operation Prosper from 17 March 2023 to 17 April 2023.

“The current employment is authorised in accordance with the provisions of Section 201(2) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.”

Meanwhile, the expenditure expected to be incurred for this exercise is over R146 million.

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The deployment comes after several acts of sabotage was reported at Eskom power stations.

This included incidents at Tutuka power station, Hendrina power station and Duvha.

At Tutuka, a crucial power cable was cut about a year ago. The cable was in a cable rack along with several others, which suffered no damage and delayed the power station from returning the station’s unit five to service by several days, as it took time to find the cut cable.

A second incident had occurred at Tutuka, where a section of a control air pipeline was cut with a power tool, and a bend in the pipe removed.

At Hendrina Power Station, officials were unable to start up unit five and upon inspection found that during the night copper bars on the unit’s generator had been removed, and reactor earth bars, had also been removed.

Units two and six suffered the same fate.

In another incident, the incorrect oil was used for unit two at Duvha Power Station, meaning a further delay to returning the 570-megawatt unit to service.

In November 2021 steel supports on a pylon near Lethabo Power Station was cut just before evening peak, and the pylon toppled onto a back-up power line adjacent to the pylon – causing the power supply to the power station’s overland conveyor to be cut off for hours.

In addition to sabotage woes, Eskom management’s instruction, to increase the load of Kusile Power Station Unit 1 to full capacity, against the advice of its engineers, caused the disastrous collapse of a duct which has contributed roughly two stages of load-shedding since late October 2022.

Last week, the Electricity Minister warned of a very difficult winter ahead as Eskom struggled through capacity problems.