Emalahleni Residents Protest Over Power Outages Turns Violent, 4 Trucks and 2 Bakkies Torched on N4

• Emalahleni residents took to the streets on Wednesday, 11 January to protest a prolonged power outage in Vosman
• The protest turned violent when irate residents set six vehicles, including four trucks and two bakkies, ablaze
• Mpumalanga police have opened a case of public violence and laid multiple charges of malicious damage to property in the aftermath of the protest

EMALAHLENI - The N4 in Emalahleni descended into chaos when an electricity protest by community members turned violent on Wednesday, 11 January.

According to Mpumalanga police, angry residents set four trucks and two bakkies on fire on the outskirts of Vosman and pelted a number of vehicles with stones.

The protest came after a power outage was reported in the area because of a cable fault between the Buffer and Ring substations on Wednesday morning. The municipality added that the situation was worsened by cable theft at the Ring substation, TimesLIVE reported.

Read also

Gauteng parents frustrated after online registration backlog leaves thousands of learners stranded, Motshekga calls for calm

Technicians reportedly worked on fixing the fault and replacing the stolen cables and the job was completed at 10pm, but loadshedding made it impossible to test the substations to see if the electricity could be switched back on.

The municipality said that the protest action made it difficult for the technicians to complete testing and switch the electricity back on.

Meanwhile, the police have opened a case of public violence in the aftermath of the electricity protest and have laid several charges of malicious damage to property. Colonel Donald Mdhuli revealed that no arrests have been made but police will remain on standby in the event that violence erupts in the area again, EWN reported.

South Africans react to the violent electricity protest in Emalahleni

Read also

8-Year-old boy killed during illegal drag race, angry community members attack driver and burn cars

The electricity crisis in Emalahleni generated some mixed reactions from South Africans.

This is what people are saying:

@aright2speak complained:

"Has it started? @CyrilRamaphosa and the criminal #ANC don’t want to listen."

@Ibakhulu22 stated:

"At least people of Emalahleni are doing something"

@Zongolo5 asked:

"So those trucks are the cause of the outage?"

@mtapido claimed:

"Emalahleni residents don’t have the very thing (emalahle) that is used to generate power, hence they’re in darkness."

@42566657PL warned:

"Trucks burnt @ eMalahleni in Mpumalanga as protestors demand end to loadshedding. New Dawn Is Burning. Remove Cyril before it’s too late."

@DrGarrloSir commented:

"I'm not supporting the burning of trucks, however, the question is, are we just going to fold arms and watch this Eskom thing persisting?"

ANC admits that loadshedding is hindering South Africa’s economic growth, leaving Mzansi eye-rolling

In a related story, Briefly News reported that the African National Congress (ANC) has admitted that the effects of loadshedding are hindering South Africa's economic growth.

Read also

Sizwe Dhlomo complains about potholes on SA roads after December holidays, Mzansi blames the ANC

Members of the party touched on the country’s energy crisis during the ANC’s Economic Dialogue on economic reforms and energy security in the Mangaung Region on Friday, 6 January. The event formed part of the build-up programme to the ruling party’s 111th anniversary.

The ANC is looking for solutions to deal with the rolling blackouts and said it is in conversation with experts to find a lasting solution. During the event, ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member, Mmamoloko Kubayi, discussed the impacts of loadshedding, SABC News reported.

Source: Briefly News