Eskom withdraws services in Tembisa amid violent protests

Eskom has confirmed the withdrawal of its services in Tembisa following violent protests on Monday.

Eskom has confirmed the withdrawal of its services in Tembisa following violent protests on Monday.

Published Aug 2, 2022

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Durban - Eskom has confirmed the withdrawal of its services in Tembisa following violent protests on Monday.

In a post on Twitter, Eskom said services will only resume when it was safe for its staff to work in the area.

Eskom spokesperson in Gauteng, Amanda Qithi, said: "There are currently protests that are taking place and there are roads that have been closed, we will then not be able to access some of the areas.“

She added that employees and technicians will not be sent to the area, “just purely for their protection.”

At least four people were killed after residents took to the streets to protest over service delivery. Several businesses were also looted and at least 31 municipal vehicles torched.

Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Safety, Letlhogonolo Moseki, said they were expecting arrests by the end of the day.

Speaking to eNCA, he said extra police had been deployed to the area to monitor the situation. Moseki said Executive Mayor Tania Campbell was meeting with officials to find a solution.

According to Campbell, a meeting was held last week to address the residents' demands, however the meeting collapsed.

Moseki believes that a “third force” was behind the violent protests. He said they were on a fact-finding mission to ensure that those responsible for the protests and damage were brought to book. Moseki estimated that the cost of damage to infrastructure runs into the millions.

Residents of Tembisa embarked on a service delivery protest, burning cars and infrastructure. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)

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