Africa-Press – South-Africa. Some residents of Fine Town have rebuked the violent protest action by their neighbours, who took to the streets demanding Eskom reconnect the area’s electricity.
On Wednesday night, residents torched two trucks and barricaded roads leading to the area in retaliation to Eskom cutting of electricity due to non-payment.
Some residents claimed that Eskom previously warned them it would take action as some had bypassed their prepaid meters.
“Eskom told us it was planning to switch us off and is demanding R6 000 for reconnections. It is a fact that some of our neighbours are not paying. Others have bypassed their meters.
Illegal connections: About 700 Soweto homes in the dark after Eskom disconnects its power
“Some residents want the government to settle their Eskom debts. Others want to be reincorporated into City Power,” said Lehlohonolo Maboe.
Maboe runs a tavern in the area. Since Eskom switched off the power on Monday, he has had to fork out money on paraffin, gas and petrol to keep his business and family afloat.
He said:
“We can’t be punished for other people’s sins. I buy electricity weekly and deserve to have power in my home and business. What our neighbours did by burning trucks was wrong. We can’t solve any dispute through violence. We need to meet with Eskom in a civilised manner and address this matter rather than resorting to violence,” Maboe added.
Businesses impacted
Lino Dzimba has had to shut his hair salon, his only source of income.
“No customers are coming in. I was forced to close until power was restored. Since January, we have had unstable electricity here. Power was coming and going and damaging some of my equipment. I am suffering. I don’t have money to buy food.
“Eskom must come and fix their transformers that are problematic. If they want people to buy electricity, Eskom must first improve their infrastructure which is old. Many people here are unemployed and can’t afford electricity.
“Eskom should not have switched off the entire area. They should have targeted transgressors and left those who complied. Many people are unemployed and Covid-19 also contributed to joblessness.”
Dzimba added that many would not be able to afford to pay Eskom’s R6 000 reconnection fee.
Unemployed, Lekgotla Modiko lives with his mother, who is a pensioner. Modiko said they survived on his mother’s Sassa pension and rents out shacks in his yard.
“We are struggling. As an unemployed young person, life is difficult for us. Eskom has worsened things for us. My mother spends over R3 000 on paraffin and gas for our home.
“Since January, we have had an unstable power supply. We have been assisted by our noble neighbours who were supplying us with electricity from their homes.
“Our infrastructure is old. Fine Town is the fastest growing area in Gauteng. The population has proliferated. There are mushrooming informal settlements surrounding us. One can imagine how many houses are connected to our old infrastructure.”
Soweto residents propose a R150 monthly fee to pay off Eskom debt
Modiko said the unstable power supply had damaged their appliances.
“We are compliant. Eskom must fix its problems first. They must install new transformers before they can switch off our lights. They must target those in the wrong and leave us who comply.
“Attacking people’s properties because we don’t have electricity is wrong. We are not promoting violence at all. We understand people are angry. We appeal to Eskom to meet with us and iron out this issue,” Modiko said.
Eskom is yet to respond on the matter.
Never miss a story. Choose from our range of newsletters to get the news you want delivered straight to your inbox.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
