After violent protests, Ekurhuleni Mayor Xhakaza temporarily suspends fixed electricity charge
The decision was taken following violent protests in Thembisa on Monday morning.
At least a dozen Tembisa residents have been injured in running battles with police in Ekurhuleni. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN
THEMBISA - Ekurhuleni Mayor Doctor Xhakaza has temporarily suspended a controversial fixed electricity charge after protesting on Monday morning.
Xhakaza made the announcement to an angry crowd of Thembisa residents, who met his address with jeers and boos.
The move follows a day of violent unrest, with hundreds of people taking to the streets to protest soaring power tariffs.
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Police fired rubber bullets to clear blockades, while residents retaliated by damaging vehicles, torching tyres and hurling stones.
The R126 fixed charge will be put on hold until the city returns with a more permanent answer in 14 days.
The day began with flames, rubber bullets and rocks, as residents blocked roads and police responded with force, leaving at least a dozen people injured.
By midday, the crowd shifted to the Rabasotho Community Hall, waiting for Mayor Xhakaza to explain the way forward.
When he finally arrived, the welcome was hostile, but the hundreds of residents present still listened as he announced a concession.
The R126 fixed electricity charge, which was at the heart of the unrest, would be suspended with immediate effect.
"So, we can go ahead and engage Eskom and NERSA so that this tariff structure can be understandable, but in the meantime, we will suspend the fixed charge temporarily of R126."
Xhakaza told residents the municipality would return in two weeks with a final plan, after further discussions with stakeholders.