Shack dwellers from Siyangena in Lower Crossroads took to the streets early on Wednesday morning 9 September, barricading New Eisleben and Bristol roads to demand service delivery from the City.

Protesters are calling on the City to install electricity in the area, saying they have occupied the land for more than six years but seen little development.

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Our pleas fall on deaf ears

Community member Siphosethu Mendela accused the City of ignoring residents. “We’ve been engaging with the City several times but our pleas fall on deaf ears. We have been trying to talk to them since early this year, but to no avail. We will protest until the City responds,” said Mendela.

She highlighted crime as a major problem, saying criminals kick down their doors at night to break in. “Our councillor doesn’t help us. We tried to engage with him, with no help,” she said.

City: Settlement on private land in Eskom supply area

In a statement, the City said the informal settlement is located on privately owned land and falls within an Eskom supply area, directing residents to contact Eskom directly for information about electrification plans.

It said Philippi is a complex area comprising unplanned informal settlements, many in Eskom supply areas and a large majority on privately owned land.

“Where the City owns the land and where it is in a City-supplied electricity area and within planned resources, which are not unlimited, the City will do its best to provide some level of service depending on the specific conditions. In older, existing informal settlements on City-owned land, more than 92% have been electrified,” the statement reads.

The City said it respects the right to protest and maintains an open-door policy for all community members, encouraging communities to approach it in good faith and in a peaceful, constructive manner. “However, in this case, this is not City-owned land nor a City electricity supply area and the City adheres to the laws regulating these matters,” the City said.

Eskom fails to respond

Efforts to get comment from Eskom were fruitless; the utility failed to respond to questions emailed to it.