RUST-TER-VAAL – Frustrated residents of Rust-Ter-Vaal outside Vereeniging took to the streets in a protest to boycott the installation of electricity smart meters.
Chaos erupted as protesters barricaded their arterial road, the R82 with burning tires, rocks, and debris on Wednesday, July 23 to raise their fury.
The protest lasted for almost four hours at a standstill, with traffic grinding to a halt and tempers flaring high.
According to protesters, the action was an attempt to lure the speaker of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) for an meeting prior to a planned smart meter community engagement to find a solution on their request.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster on the sidelines, community activist James Kok said “We’ve been requesting Emfuleni to come out and address our residents. The municipality has promised us for years now that they will help our people to address the historic debt as they did in other communities,” he said.
Kok said their tight-knit community is being secluded because they are not majority voters of the African National Congress.
“We are being undermined because we have a different view politically. Rust-Ter-Vaal used to be an ANC-dominated community until we [residents] opened our eyes that the leading party doesn’t like the coloured residents of Rust-Ter-Vaal,” he added.
Kok said residents took a stance against the smart meter roll-out of any kind and stood by their decision.
“We spoke with other communities about these smart meters and we realize that we will be spending more on electricity. Rust-Ter-Vaal is among the poorest communities with an unemployment rate of 85%, we won’t be able to afford smart meters,” he said.
Following the four-hour protest that later allowed a free flow of the R82, the community agreed to meet the municipality for an engagement to resolve the heated issues.
“Should we fail to find an amicable solution we are intensifying the protest until our grievances are met,” he said.
ELM spokesperson, Makhosonke Sangweni said the municipality is aware of the protest.
“The municipality is committed to resolving all and any matter within the communities. Public participation is the correct platform for any resident or community to express their dissatisfaction in relation to service delivery or any other matter,” he said.
Police spokesperson, Captain Fikile Funda said Public Order Police (PoPS) was deployed on the R82 to monitor the protest.
“Ours is to make sure that no public infrastructure is being vandalized and motor vehicles are not damaged nor motorists victimized. No protesters were arrested as the protest action lasted for four hours,” he said.
