Truck torched in Gqeberha electricity protest

Chaos erupted on busy Addo Road as about 100 residents of Powerline, Ramaphosa and Nomakanjani informal settlements protested in Motherwell in Gqeberha over water and electricity on Wednesday night.

According to police, trucks were stoned and a truck transporting fruit was set alight. Lemons could still be seen scattered on the road in the afternoon.

Protesters said they have to cook over wood fires in the biting cold, light candles at night and eat supper in the darkness.

“We have had no electricity for five days, because the transformers always trip and explode,” said resident Nomthunzi Xaba.

She said the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality only takes action when there is a protest. “We are living in a dangerous situation. The municipality only serves certain informal settlements and not all of us. We have been too soft for a long time.”

In a statement, Mayor Gary van Niekerk said, “Teams are working on the lack of electricity in an attempt to address all faults.”

He said he had demanded an operational plan to address outages and ensure permanent electricity connections.

“I understand that communities felt compelled to burn tyres and destroy infrastructure because they are used to aloof leadership who only responded to a show of force and violence. We need to break this cycle by delivering on our promises,” he said.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the driver of the fruit truck had not been injured. “Also, during this time, the driver of a manganese truck in trying to dodge protesters and stones, lost control and collided into a wall of a residence.”

Naidu said a 29-year-old had been arrested on charges of public violence, damage to essential infrastructure, and malicious damage to property.

Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner Major General Vuyisile Ncata said police would not “tolerate lawlessness”.

Published originally on GroundUp | By Thamsanqa Mbovane