Two police vehicles damaged during Tembisa protest
Residents took to the streets on Monday morning, protesting over the high cost of electricity.
Resident in Tembisa take to the streets on 21 July 2025, protesting over the high cost of electricity. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Two police vehicles have been damaged during running battles between police and angry Tembisa residents.
The residents took to the streets on Monday morning, protesting over the high cost of electricity.
The community said the new electricity charges, introduced on 1 July, make it hard to keep the lights on.
The charges include fixed monthly fees of under R109 for single-phase connections and over R200 for three-phase connections.
Police are continuing to fire rubber bullets periodically to disperse crowds, that have gathered to block roads.
The streets are littered with rocks, broken glass, and rubble, while plumes of smoke rise from tyres that residents continue to set ablaze.
Elderly residents sit on the pavements, clapping and singing struggle songs as younger men and women add more debris to the barricades.
Residents tell EWN their frustration stems from what they call unaffordable electricity, describing the fixed monthly fees and double-digit tariff increases as an insult to an already struggling community.
For now, officers remain at a distance, but residents show no sign of backing down.