Page 9 - AfrElec Week 31 2022
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AfrElec PROTESTS AfrElec
Electricity protests shut down
Tembisa township in SA
SOUTH AFRICA THE death toll following violent protests over establish the causes of deaths as “authorities
service deliveries in the township of Tembisa in were currently dealing with unsubstantiated
Ekurhuleni municipality (Gauteng) has risen to allegations,” reports News24.
four, the Ekurhuleni metro police department The protests started at the weekend after the
(EMPD) said, News24 reports. mayor of Ekurhuleni, Tania Campbell, did not
The township, located on the East Rand to turn up at the community meeting on July 29
the north of Kempton Park, a Johannesburg that she promised to attend. Residents said they
suburb, was shut down on Monday (August 1) were unhappy with the way in which she was
when angry protesters blocked the roads with handling the situation and would continue to
burning tires and set fire to buildings and vehi- protest until the mayor came to the area.
cles. A News24 reporter covering the protests Meanwhile, Campbell has called for calm to
was attacked and robbed of his equipment at immediately be restored in Tembisa, adding
knifepoint. that acts of vandalism and arson would not be
The police were deployed to monitor the situ- tolerated.
ation in the area where residents were allegedly “As a multi-party coalition government, we
protesting against high electricity tariffs and are concerned that the visuals we are witnessing
poor service delivery. in Tembisa are no longer community-based, but
EMPD spokesperson Kelebogile Thepe ear- rather a well-orchestrated operation to render
lier confirmed that two protesters were killed in the township ungovernable,” Campbell said as
the crossfire between officers and demonstra- reported by The Citizen.
tors. The death toll is now reported to have risen “We believe that the current destruction of
to four. public infrastructure is politically motivated
Thepa said the South African Police Service and intended to undermine the progress of the
(SAPS) had taken over the investigation to new administration,” she added.
Week 31 04•August•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9
