Following a protracted protest against regular power outages by the residents of Delmore Park and Delmore Gardens, electricity and peace in the areas have been restored.
Residents of Delmore Park and Delmore Gardens are out of the dark after they recently experienced frequent power outages believed to be caused by electricity cable theft.
Motorists had to inconveniently use alternative routes to avoid protesters who blocked a stretch of Wit Deep Road between Commissioner and Main Reef roads with stones and burning tyres.
Ward 33 councillor Ashley Hoods said electricity has been restored in the affected areas.
“The metro has responded to the residents’ demands to have their electricity restored.
“However, their second demand is still in the process because they demanded that their power supply should not be supplied from the cables in Wit Deep Road, but from another substation, to prevent their power lines from being sabotaged again.
“The residents have met a representative from the metro to discuss a way forward,” Hoods said.
Protests flare up
The problem reportedly started on November 13 when the residents of Jerusalem and Delmore informal settlements woke up to find that their illegal electricity disconnected by the metro.
Reacting against the disconnections, a group of people, believed to be from both informal settlements, barricaded the road and went on a rampage, wrecking municipal infrastructure and several trucks passing through the area.
The group allegedly sabotaged the power lines which supply electricity legally to nearby townships of Delmore Park and Delmore Gardens, which resulted in an almost week-long power outage.
Residents from the two townships held a peaceful protest outside the Germiston Council Chambers on November 15 to voice out their grievances.
It did not stop there, on November 18, the two townships took to the streets, barricaded the road with burning tyres, stones and tree branches, preventing motorists from passing through the townships.
According to the spokesperson for the metro, Themba Gadebe, the delay to restore power in the townships was due to the dangerous and volatile situation which saw the electricity crew intimidated while trying to carry out repairs to the infrastructure that was vandalised during the protest.
The latest operation to remove illegal connections took place in Jerusalem and Delmore informal settlement.
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