Eskom has been temporarily suspending services in some parts of the country as attacks on staff escalate. It says there have been 14 attacks on its staff in Gauteng up to 31 July. No arrests have been made.

"You have no idea something like that could happen when it does. You do not expect the community to attack you because you think all they want is for the fault to be fixed, but you get stabbed ... You just never imagine that a reported electricity fault could lead to such rage."

This is the harrowing account of an Eskom worker, who asked not to be named, describing how he and his colleagues battle robbers and thugs daily.

Eskom has been temporarily suspending services in some parts of the country as attacks on staff escalate. It says there have been 14 attacks on its staff in Gauteng up to 31 July. No arrests have been made.

According to Eskom, possible motives for the attacks are to steal cable and other material to use for illegal connections or to sell to scrap dealers, and to rob security personnel of their guns.

The power utility said many of the incidents were taking place...