RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - Alerts went out on various WhatsApp groups on Monday afternoon, 3 February, after protesters took to the streets in front of the local Eskom offices in Mabe Business Park.
In an unexpected turn of events, these protesters were not local residents but drove and were transported in a great number of vehicles from various informal settlements in the area of Brits.
Rustenburg Herald arrived on the scene to find approximately 150 community members sitting on sidewalks, talking in small groups and filing down the road to make their presence and dissatisfaction known with the national energy provider, Eskom.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) and local security companies also had a notable presence at the scene of the protest, that was peacefully undertaken.
“Apparently, members of the public are upset about the frequent and extended power outages,” was the message posted on social media and the protesters, of whom many had conflicting stories, gave numerous reasons for them being there.
One community member said that load shedding had been going on for two weeks in the villages of Majakaneng, Wonderkop, Sonop and others, whilst another protester claimed the power outages were an act of “sabotage on black business.” The protesters also claimed that their community leaders were in a “meeting” with Eskom officials in the building across the street, but when our journalists investigated, Eskom staff claimed that their managers were not in the building and that “no meeting” was taking place.
The protest concluded peacefully, however, some businesses in the area made the decision to close early on the day.
Whether the protest had any immediate effect or impact remains to be seen, but as reported elsewhere in this publication, residents all around North West province have had it with poor service delivery.
* Upon enquiry, staff members of Eskom told Rustenburg Herald that they did not want to comment on the situation and by the time of going to press, no spokesperson could be reached for official comment.
