Ratepayers are fuming over electricity outages in the CBD, Kanonkop, and large parts of Aerorand since around 18:00 last night. Hundreds of residents are calling for arrests and criminal charges to be laid against rampaging strikers, while also insisting they be fired.

While power to areas within the CBD has been restored this morning, large parts of Aerorand, and areas like Oos- and Weeber Streets remain in the dark.

DA councillor, Hennie Niemann, posted on WhatsApp groups that the power in certain parts were turned off “by municipal electricians” while municipal employees working on water, had also now started turning off supply to Aerorand areas around Corpus Christi Church.

A threat was also posted to the Steve Tshwete Community Forum Facebook page by “Baba KaMandisa NoOketsho” warning that “until someone starts taking the workers/community seriously… Part of town will remain without electricity… until further…”.

There are no control officers available and phone calls to backup teams are being flatly ignored.

The sabotage comes on the back of yesterday’s scandalous conduct by solid waste employees, who emptied dustbins in Kanonkop and Dennesig into the streets, and destroying many of the municipally mandated wheelie bins in the process.

The entire municipality has been on lockdown since Monday with protests with the strike exiting its second week, entering a third.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Infrastructural Development, councillor Johan Mathsiane, says the municipality is investigating the problems and cannot say at this stage that the sabotage is being caused by striking employees, or some other inexplicable problem.

He added that the electricity and water problems are now spreading to other parts of town.

Since early this morning another WhatsApp message doing the rounds said problems are also being experienced by Eskom after a current measurement transformer exploded in the industrial area around Columbus, and that Eskom is working on the problem.

But, according to the message, the Eskom problem is not responsible for the outages in town.

Municipal employees are striking due to rumours that management is planning to periodically outsource services like solid waste collection. The contract was, however, cancelled due to the backlash.

Striking employees are also demanding that the security service contract the municipality has with outside service providers be cancelled, and that security be added as a municipal competency, which will result in insurers turning their back on the authority due to conflict of interests.

There’s still no end in sight of the ongoing strike, with municipal services still suspended at the civic centre, with personnel who pitched up for work today, to scared to assist the public due to ongoing intimidation by strikers.

Traffic and licensing services are open, but not assiting the public due to fear.

Promises that armed security would be sent to the licensing department has not realized.

Municipal Manager, Advocate Bheki Khenisa, could not be reached for comment.