Protesters burn tyres after power woes

KWANOBUHLE residents burnt tyres yesterday after various parts of the area had not had electricity since Friday.

Parts of KwaNobuhle such as Wards 46, 47 and 51 have been without power for four days.

Luyanda Jibiliza, who lives in Siwasa Street, said no indication was given that the electricity would be switched off.

“When we woke up on Friday, there was nothing and it still has not come back. When we made calls regarding the matter we were told something happened at the power station and it would be restored,” Jibiliza said.

“People are frustrated because one feels that if this happened in the suburbs it would have been resolved on Friday already.”

Residents burnt tyres in Mabandla Road and then walked to the councillor’s office in Ponana Tini Road where they demanded that the power be restored.

Ward 46 councillor Lindelwa Qukubana said residents stormed her office demanding they restore the electricity. “When we woke up to no electricity on Friday we called the engineering and infrastructure department.

“Workers came and tried to fix the problem but when the clock struck 4pm, they downed tools because they are not paid overtime,” Qukubana said.

Businessman Sivuyile Watani, who owns Kwano’s Meat Corner, was one of many affected.

“The power outage affected businesses big time because we depend on it for our livelihood. I had to store meat for my tshisa nyama with family because I didn’t want it to spoil.”

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said disruptions could be partly blamed on officials upset by amendments to the overtime policy.

For the past month, the municipality and its workers have been at loggerheads, with workers demanding they be paid according to a longstanding collective agreement rather than a new overtime policy .

Mniki apologised to residents for the inconvenience.