Ekurhuleni mayor orders immediate halt to electricity disconnections amid Thembisa protest

For illustrative purposes only: Ekurhuleni Public Order Police (POP) keep watch as protesters barricade roads into Thembisa on 1 August 2022. Picture: Michel Bega As Thembisa residents plan a shutdown to protest electricity disconnections, termination notices and concerns about the City’s indigent policy, Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has pledged to engage “constructively with affected residents.” Residents are expected to take to the streets of the city on Monday. Acting mayoral spokesperson Ramatolo Tlotleng said Xhakaza has taken note of the planned protest in Thembisa and the concerns raised by residents.

“Following extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including ward councillors and community representatives, the executive mayor acknowledges the seriousness of the issues brought forward and affirms the city’s commitment to engaging constructively with affected residents.” With the looming protest, Xhakaza ordered an immediate halt to electricity disconnections and to the issuance of pre-termination and termination notices to indigent and deemed indigent households. “We will progressively begin with the restoration of electricity to households that have been disconnected, particularly those registered as indigent and deemed indigent according to the city’s criteria,” Tlotleng said. Tlotleng said the city will also undertake a review of the city’s indigent policy to ensure it is fair, responsive, and aligned with the socio-economic realities facing vulnerable communities, and initiate a process to scrap outstanding debt for registered indigent and deemed indigent households, subject to verification and policy alignment. “The executive mayor emphasises that while the city must maintain a culture of payment for services to ensure sustainability, it equally carries a constitutional obligation to protect the most vulnerable members of society,” Tlotleng said.