Four people have been arrested following a violent service delivery protest in Khayelitsha on Wednesday that saw residents barricade roads and allegedly damage a police vehicle while demanding electricity for their informal settlements.
The protest occurred near the Mpolweni informal settlement in Makhaza, where frustrated residents used stones and burning tyres to block Baden Powell Drive. The demonstrators were demanding electricity installation for both Mpolweni and Thembeni informal settlements.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that the four suspects face charges of attempted murder, public violence, and malicious damage to property. They are scheduled to appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court on Friday, 17 October.
“This case docket was transferred to Provincial Detectives for further investigation,” Van Wyk said.
Thembani community leader Bulelani Qholani said residents were driven to desperation by years of neglect from city officials.
“The City has failed us. Our people have been patient for so long. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that government officials come to us and engage with us. Not even a ward councillor came to us,” Qholani said.
Qholani disputed allegations that protesters deliberately torched a police Nyala vehicle, claiming instead that the driver inadvertently stopped on burning tyres.
“There was no way we could burn the Nyala because officers were shooting at us with rubber bullets. How can we approach people who are fully armed while we are unarmed?” he explained. “The driver reversed the Nyala and stopped on top of a burning tyre, and the flames spread.”s
The City of Cape Town responded that the area falls under Eskom’s supply jurisdiction, with the City and Eskom collaborating where “practically and legally feasible” to connect households to the electricity grid.
However, the City cited significant infrastructure challenges in the statement: “Much of the settlements were created on land totally unsuitable for underground services due to it being situated in ponds, wetlands, nature reserves or private land.”
The City noted that in areas under its direct supply, more than 90% of households in older settlements on City-owned land have been electrified.
“The reality with unlawful occupation on inappropriate land is that service delivery is often not feasible, nor are resources unlimited,” the statement read.
Eskom provincial spokesperson Zanele Bukani said the utility requires a locality map of the indicated areas before proceeding with any electrification plans.
“Residents are advised to contact their local municipal official first to request electrification of new areas, as Eskom requires municipal approvals for electrification of any informal area,” Bukani said.
The protest highlights ongoing tensions between informal settlement residents and authorities over basic service delivery in one of South Africa’s largest townships.
