Here are the top trending stories from last week
MIDRAND – In case you missed it, here are last week's news highlights.
Midrand SPCA closed after armed robbery
The Midrand SPCA was struck with a major loss following a robbery on the evening of 10 July.
Midrand SPCA general manager Pam Pretorius said that three armed suspects entered the property, held up their caretaker and forced him to open up before beating him up and locking him in a separate room.
The suspects broke everything in the organisation’s main office and fled the scene with vaccines, three printers, an alarm, surveillance system and phones. For the full story, click here.
Illegal connections leading cause for transformer failures
According to Eskom, the power utility is experiencing an increasing number of repeated equipment failures in some areas, especially within Gauteng.
“This is primarily due to illegal connections leading to overloading which results in failure of transformers and mini-substations. This is exacerbated by meter tampering, electricity theft and vandalism of infrastructure,” Eskom said in a statement.
Eskom said that it has taken a decision that it will not be restoring power to areas that have repeated failures due to illegal connections, meter tampering and bypassing. The power utility said it will only restore supply to legal and paying customers in the areas, on the condition that the community allows safe access to Eskom staff to conduct audits and remove illegal connections. For the full story, click here.
Gas explosion leaves 50 people injured in Olifantsfontein
ER24 responded to a chemical gas explosion at a business in Industry Street, Olifantsfontein on Friday morning, 12 July.
Russel Meiring spokesperson for ER24 said, “Multiple vehicles from ER24, along with other services, arrived on the scene at 7.10am to find numerous people scattered on the outskirts of the premises. On closer inspection, medics found that the business had already been evacuated.” For the full story, click here.
Kaalfontein community protests after no power for three weeks
Community members in Kaalfontein protested in the area last week, claiming that Eskom is not taking their issue seriously as they have had no electricity for more than three weeks. Protesters blocked Archerfish Drive in Kaalfontein with rocks and concrete pipes.
Protesting residents spoke to journalist Ofentse Ditlopo. One resident from Kaalfontein Ext 5, Puseletso Matsani said, “We are protesting for electricity. We have been without electricity for more than three weeks,” Matsani said.
For the full story, click here.
Clinic’s operating hours are now extended
The City of Johannesburg Health Department has extended the operating hours at the Midrand West Clinic from 24 June due to increasing demand in the area.
Assistant manager of the Citizen Relationship Management Department in the region, Pierre Nel said that it was also requested by the community members during an Integrated Development Plan meeting because of the population density in the area.
For the full story, click here.
