Certain parts of Tshwane have been without power since Tuesday.
Photo: Flickr
City of Tshwane blames sabotage for 5-day power outage in Laudium
Laudium residents who have had no electricity since Tuesday say they are considering taking the City of Tshwane to court.
Certain parts of Tshwane have been without power since Tuesday.
Photo: Flickr
Laudium residents in Tshwane who have been without electricity for over 5 days say they are now forced to throw away their food .
Several parts of Pretoria North, East and West have been without electricity since Tuesday, 15 March 2022 apparently due to an illegal strike by City of Tshwane employees.
CITY OF TSHWANE BLAMES SABOTAGE
City of Tshwane spokesperson, Selby Bokaba said some areas are still without electricity because cables were stolen.
Bokaba said the people who know where those cables are may have been the ones that laid them.
“Whether it is contractors or whether it is employees, it is difficult to tell but these are people who know where the infrastructure is. They go and switch off at the specific place and steal those cables,” Bokaba said.
A number of residents said they had to throw a number of food items away because they had gone off.
Jackie Kolopen said he was very worried about his wife’s (who suffered a stroke) medication.
Kolopen said there’s certain neurological medication that should be kept in a cool place so that it doesn’t go off.
“Because of the current situation, I have stored the medication at my son’s place. I have to go there every three hours to get my wife’s medication. In the evening we eat cold food and sit in the dark,” he said
Laudium residents said they will be engaging with other members who are in the legal fraternity regarding the illegal strike.
HERE’S HOW WE GOT HERE:
- City of Tshwane employees embarked on an illegal strike on Monday, 15 March over salary disputes. This has disrupted service delivery particularly the restoration of electricity in various parts. The A Re Yeng bus service was also suspended.
- On Thursday, 17 March, a Joint Operations Centre between the South African Police Services (SAPS) and Tshwane Metro Police was established in order to restore order and put an end to service delivery disruptions.
- On Friday, 18 March, the Tshwane Bus Service (TBS) was suspended in Olievenhoutbosch due to protest action. Residents from Olievenhoutbosch, The Reeds and surrounding areas had taken to the streets to express their frustration and anger.
- On Saturday, 19 March, the City said they discovered stolen cables in Laudium and was planning go to The Reeds/Kosmosdaal to restore those areas including Blue Valley.
ALSO READ: City of Tshwane strike: SAPS, TMPD escort ‘fearful’ employees ‘to work’
