Community uprising in Tlhabane Township over electricity cuts

Kgang Moloko
Rustenburg

Tlhabane Township had electricity cuts for long hours on consecutive days and community members got frustrated and reacted by protesting.
Roads within the township were barricaded with burning tyres and stones, the township was turned into a no go area. The protest left damaged tarred roads.

One of the ward councillors said that there were faulty transformers which turned the township into black outs which also affected the water supply which caused a reaction from the community, an old known spontaneous reaction which let to burning of tyres and stones thrown into the roads which has caused potholes on the tarred roads, he also mentioned that there are community members who buys illegal electricity which is keeping Eskom in debt and that community demand services that they are not paying for and that a growing number of tenants in the township households puts a strain on the electric transformers which courses black outs.

The power and water supply has returned and things are back to normal except for evidence of burning of tyres by means of number of potholes on a number of streets.