Municipal buildings torched as electricity protest descends into chaos

Thousands of Mondlo residents protested on Wednesday after an announcement that eight hours of daily load reduction would be implemented. Photo: Bongane Motaung

Municipal offices in Mondlo township in northern KwaZulu-Natal were set alight by residents on Wednesday night after a day-long protest over electricity cuts.

Thousands of residents shut down the township in the early hours of Wednesday morning, blocking roads with burning tyres, stones, bottles and tree branches. Schools and workplaces were brought to a standstill.

A memorandum was handed to the Abaqulusi Municipality before midday, but the protest continued, and by nightfall, the town descended into chaos. Municipal buildings and vehicles were set alight. A municipal tractor-load-backhoe was stolen and driven through the streets by men, cheering and waving pangas and knobkieries.

The protest continued on Thursday.

Last week, the municipality announced it would introduce “load reduction” (when electricity is cut to reduce the load on the grid) in the township from 5am to 9am and 5pm to 9pm every day.

In addition to an end to load reduction, the protesters demanded: better access to water and sanitation; repairs to electricity poles, boxes, and street lights; and safer roads.

Resident Philisiwe Zwane said, “Our power is reduced, electricity cuts off when it is windy and raining. Poles are almost falling on the ground.”

Protest leader Thokozani Ndwadwe, said: “We wrote letters to the municipality several times, but there was no response. People are forced to walk long distances to rivers and boreholes to fetch water.”

The municipal offices in Mondlo were set alight on Wednesday night (right), and a municipal TLB was stolen and driven down the streets (left). Photos supplied.

Municipal Manager Sbonga Dlamini, who received the protesters’ memorandum, said the implementation of load reduction was a decision by the municipal council and that it was necessary to protect the grid, which is overloaded due to illegal connections.

The municipality owes Eskom R293-million, Dlamini said.

Abaqulusi Municipality has run at a deficit of between R131-million and R146-million a year for the past three years. It has incurred unauthorised expenditure of more than R1-billion over the past three years and irregular expenditure of more than R300-million. Its cash reserves have been depleted, from R1.5-billion in 2019, to R213-million in 2023.

Earlier this year, the Mondlo Civic Organisations held a peaceful protest on service delivery. The organisation’s leader Vusi Banda was shot dead the day after. More peaceful protests were held by a group called Mondlo Residents between May and August.

Roads were blocked in the township and schools were closed on Wednesday. Photo: Bongane Motaung

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