VEREENIGING.- The Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court last week delivered a resounding victory for justice and community dignity for the people of Emfuleni.

The victory is an order to be maintained in an earlier judgment that the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) should stop “threats of disconnections of services” (electricity and water) against the community, and erroneous billing.

In what was described as a desperate attempt to evade its constitutional responsibilities, the ELM recently brought a case against the Zimele Community Movement seeking to halt the order. Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, Zimele’s Mokhitla Nnete said that Zimele is a community-based organisation dedicated to the conception and implementation of programmes that address the daily challenges of the Vaal Triangle.

He added that the organisation prides itself on being a shield for the community against unfair governance and a sword for basic human dignity.

“ELM brought a case against the Zimele Community Movement seeking to halt Zimele’s momentum. The court saw through this tactic, dismissing the application and striking it off the roll. For too long, the ELM has hidden behind the bureaucratic logo of the ELM while ignoring the cries of the people. This court victory confirms what we have always known: the power of a united community is greater than the arrogance of a failing administration,” Nnete said.

He added that Zimele has championed the rights of residents in the Vaal Triangle (Emfuleni).

“While the ELM chose silence—ignoring memorandums from 2020 and refusing to engage on our proposal for a fair, flat-rate billing system—Zimele chose action. When the ELM resorted to ‘extortion-style’ erroneous billing and illegal service disconnections, Zimele secured a court order to protect the community of Emfuleni.”

Nnete further adds that when the ELM ignored the order, Zimele took the fight directly to the individuals responsible, opening criminal cases against officials who “thought they were above the law”.

“The failed attempt by the ELM to rescind our court order is a clear sign that they are running out of places to hide. This is not just a legal win; it is a win for every grandmother whose lights were cut off illegally, every household that has to live with sewerage on their front door, and every household struggling under the weight of fabricated debt,” said Nnete.

“The ELM tried to silence us in court so they could continue their inaction. They failed. We will now exhaust every legal avenue to ensure they don’t just ‘reply’ to our letters, but actually deliver the services our people deserve. We will continue to fight the illegal disconnection of services for those with pending disputes.”

Nnete said that Zimele is not backing down on the demand for the scrapping of historical debt and a flat-rate billing system.

“The tide is turning in Emfuleni. We have proven that when we stand together, the ‘untouchable’ of municipal incompetence falls. But the battle is not over. We invite every resident of Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark, and the broader Vaal Triangle to unite with the Zimele Community Movement.”

ELM’s Mojalefa ‘ Chuchi’ Radebe said that they have taken the matter up with the relevant offices.

On the other hand, Nnete told Sedibeng Ster that ELM lodged an appeal this week.