16 September 2025
Abaqulusi Municipality offices in Mondlo township, KwaZulu-Natal, were torched in last week’s protests. Photo: Bongane Motaung
The situation is currently calm at Mondlo township in northern KwaZulu-Natal after a community dialogue with provincial KZN Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi on Friday.
This follows violent protests last week sparked by Abaqulusi Municipality introducing daily electricity cuts (load reduction) from 5am to 9am and 5pm to 9pm. On Wednesday, a leaked voice note where the municipal manager is apparently heard reprimanding workers for failing to implement the cuts went viral on social media. By 8pm the municipal offices, a construction vehicle and a municipal truck were torched.
The municipality has since reduced load reduction from eight to four hours a day.
Residents had marched in February and August and written to the municipality complaining about the lack of services.
On Friday, before a very large crowd, Minister Buthelezi criticised the council for not discussing its decisions with the community “before implementing” them.
He said COGTA would engage with Eskom and Abaqulusi Municipality.
“We urge the municipality to make sure nothing disturbs the community until we come up with a solution,” he said.
Mayor Sifiso Mkhwanzi denied that the council had failed to engage the community when making decisions. “We have been consulting residents for the past three years,” he said.
He said 3,000 title deeds had been burned in the protests.
Apparently this was deliberate as residents had been complaining that they are being double-billed and the municipality was going to issue new title deeds to resolve the issue.
Video footage showed protesters stealing computers and chairs, the mayor said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said SAPS is investigating a case of arson.
Police did not answer our questions about their lack of response to the protest, but the mayor told GroundUp that police had not responded immediately because they were without any backup.