Mayibuye One residents protest after enduring a frustrating five-day power outage
The protest lasted for approximately five hours, with residents burning tyres to create makeshift barricades on the roads, effectively blocking traffic and drawing attention to their plight.
Residents of Mayibuye protested on January 19 after enduring a frustrating five-day power outage.
The situation had become urgent, prompting the community to express their anger clearly. The protest lasted about five hours, during which residents burned tyres to block roads and attract attention to their issues.
Residents reported that City Power had divided the community into Mayibuye One and Mayibuye Two, leading to confusion and frustration, especially in Mayibuye One, which experienced the five-day blackout.
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Community leader Thapelo Nkoane voiced dissatisfaction, explaining that residents were not informed of a cable fault that was the cause of the outage, as per City Power’s report.
“Mayibuye One did not have electricity for five days, because of a cable fault, as per a report from City Power, but that information was not given to the community. No person knew what the actual problem was,” said Nkoane.
On January 18, a City Power team assessed the situation, identifying the fault and attempting to install a new cable. Unfortunately, the new cable failed a subsequent test, delaying the restoration of electricity.
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On January 19, residents were hopeful that City Power would complete the repairs, but the team allegedly did not arrive, causing further frustration. In response, the community held an urgent meeting and chose representatives to seek answers from City Power offices.
“When the selected representatives got to City Power they could not find any assistance. The community then resorted to engage in a protest,” added Nkoane.
Faced with a lack of support, residents felt compelled to protest to make their voices heard and demand action.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena stated that the protest significantly delayed repair efforts on January 19, as the environment became unsafe for the repair teams.
On January 20, Mangena confirmed that power had not yet been restored, but a City Power team was actively working to fix the faulty cable, hoping to restore electricity by 17:00 that day, if all went well.
Fortunately, the efforts paid off, and the power supply was fully restored by 14:40, bringing relief to the residents who had endured days of uncertainty and frustration.
Ward 110 councillor Angie Mphaho was asked if she assisted residents during the five-day power outage, but she did not respond.
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