Telkom has promised to seek maximum criminal prosecution against “saboteurs” who cut backbone fibre-optic infrastructure in Limpopo yesterday, affecting the service of thousands of fixed-line and mobile users in the province.

Most of the mobile operators have been affected by the sabotage, along with businesses and individual consumers, Telkom said in a statement early on Wednesday morning.

“Technicians were immediately despatched to the sites where the fibre cables were cut and they have been working through the night to restore connectivity”, said spokeswoman Jacqui O’Sullivan.

“Three significant cable breaks occurred, but this was not cable theft. This was the targeted and considered action of a person or persons who knew where to go, how to access the fibre and how to do the most damage. This was sabotage,” she said.

The company did not say if it believes the sabotage could be related to Wednesday’s municipal elections.

Telkom said it has reported the matter to the police and the department of state security. “State security services have immediately bolstered security at key communication points and Telkom is cooperating with the authorities to share all information that could be used to identify the saboteurs,” it said.

Telkom is offering a reward of R250 000 for any information leading to the successful prosecution of the perpetrators.

“The Criminal Matters Amendment Act has created a new offence to criminalise damage to essential infrastructure or interfering with the functioning of basic services through criminal activity. We will vigorously pursue this investigation and will make sure that the full might of the law is brought to bear on any person involved in this crime,” said O’Sullivan. — © 2016 NewsCentral Media