A dispute between the community of Mataffin and Eskom resulted in protest action and protesters barricading the road between Cairn and Halls yesterday evening.
21 hours ago
Desire Fourie
Rubbish left behind after the protest.
Mataffin residents were reported to have had no electricity yesterday, allegedly shut down due to illegal connections, which ultimately led to protest action.
According to Brig Leonard Hlathi, SAPS were on the scene between 17:00 and 18:00 yesterday. In this time an Eskom official was also on the scene to negotiate with the community.
The dispute was settled, only to have the power cut off later in the evening, which resulted in members of the community barricading the N4, between Cairn and the ring road, between 23:50 and 00:50. SAPS were once again on the scene.
According to Solange Soares, the protesters damaged TRAC property by using road signage to block off the road. Protesters were also throwing rocks at vehicles and caused an accident.
“We don’t have a problem with protesting, however, we would like to remind the public that it should be done in a legal manner – without causing damage to other people’s property,” Soares commented.
No one was arrested during the protest action.
Lowvelder contacted Eskom for a comment and is waiting on its reply. The article will be updated as soon as Eskom has responded.
https://lowvelder.co.za/520137/protest-shuts-n4/
