Zandspruit protest flares up for second day

Protests continued in Zandspruit with community members blocking Beyers Naude Drive for a second day with stones and burning tyres on 16 October.

A heavy police presence was seen with officers firing rubber bullets and tear gas at the violent protesters.

Honeydew Police Station spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said, “What caused this uproar is three incidents that occurred where individuals lost their lives caused by illegal connections. Yesterday the community was up in arms protesting about this and wanted to see a representative from the mayor’s office.

“The situation became a little bit tense with individuals throwing stones at the police and blocking the road with burning tyres.”

 

At about 10am, City Power workers arrived to remove illegal connections along Beyers Naude Drive that were running dangerously across the thoroughfare between Peter and Johan roads.

MMC for Economic Development Leah Ruth Knott said in a press statement, “Today, the City of Johannesburg met with leaders from the Zandspruit community following the sad passing of two children, aged 11 and 15 after they were exposed to illegal electricity connections in the area.

The City sends its sincere condolences to the friends and families of those who have lost their lives as a result of this unfortunate incident.”

City officials engaged in discussions with Zandspruit community leaders who requested that the City assisted in ensuring the safety of the community by installing safe electricity in the area.

“The area in question is one which is operated by Eskom and will require the Department of Energy and Eskom to provide assistance,” the statement continued. “Whilst the City is committed to assisting our residents where possible, ultimately, the primary responsibility for electrification in Zandspruit rests with Eskom and the Department of Energy.

“Under the new administration, the City had begun engagements with Eskom with the view of electrifying Zandspruit… In September, the City submitted the necessary applications to begin the process of providing electrification to the area. During today’s engagement, the City committed to assisting the residents by engaging with Eskom in order to fast-track the process of electrifying the area.”

At the protest, Randburg Sun spoke to some of the community members.

Community member Thuso Sole added, “We want legal electricity, and we are tired of dangerous ‘izinyoka’ connections. I cannot speak for those who throw stones at the police, but I can see why they are upset. We as community members of Zandspruit want more government officials to come and see what is happening here and do something about it.”

According to Muthan, one injury had been reported, with paramedics arriving on the scene to treat the individual.

“Whenever there is a protest on this scale we can expect some injuries,” he added.

Motorists are encouraged to plan alternative routes as the protest action continues.

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