Mayibuye residents to wait 14 days for update on electricity challenges in the township
Mayibuye Youth Activism Movement secretary said the high electricity tariffs were infringing on their rights to equitable and affordable electricity.
Fed up with broken infrastructure, inflated bills, and a R200 electricity surcharge, residents of Mayibuye took to the streets in protest, demanding urgent intervention from the City of Johannesburg.
On August 25, a group of around 400 residents marched from Theresa Street in Mayibuye to the mayor’s office in Braamfontein, led by the Mayibuye Youth Movement Activism. Their goal: to hand over a memorandum of demands to Mayor Sello Dada Morero.
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Among their key demands is the implementation of an indigent policy for all households earning less than R9 000 per month. Residents also called on Morero to address what they described as ‘unjust issues of over-billing,’ including the controversial R200 surcharge.
Movement secretary Thapelo Nkoane expressed disappointment that the mayor was not present to receive the memorandum personally.
“The agreement from the mayor’s office was that they will respond in 14 days. As the movement, we are happy and hopeful that we will receive a positive response from the mayor.
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“And concerning the attendance of our march, it was super great in the sense that we managed to organise our community under a unifying discourse, which is electricity. We are also happy that there were no violent activities, everything was as planned, prepared and organised,” said Nkoane.
He added that, in line with Morero’s commitment in the 2025/26 Integrated Development Planning (IDP), the city should prioritise the formalisation of the Mayibuye informal settlement.
@caxtonjoburgnorth Mayibuye residents block Theresa Street, which is the main entrance to the township. #Midrand #SANTACO ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
“Taking into consideration the promise by Morero in the IDP, as the community of Mayibuye, we demand that the city implement a flat or fixed rate in accordance with the indigent policy,” Nkoane said.
He concluded by stating that the current electricity tariffs were ‘high and unjust,’ and infringe on residents’ basic human rights to equitable and affordable access to electricity.
Khathutshelo Mulaudzi, head of communication in the mayor’s office, confirmed that the memorandum was delivered and received.
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