Eskom withdraws services from Diepsloot amid violent protests
Eskom in Gauteng has announced it’s withdrawn its services in Diepsloot amid violent community protests.
Demonstrations once again flared in the north of Johannesburg on Tuesday, with disgruntled residents burning tyres and barricading roads over service delivery shortfalls, including power outages and rampant crime in the area.
Eskom’s Amanda Qithi said the decision was made due to threats against technicians.
“We have withdrawn our services from Diepsloot and Malboro due to threats made against our technicians. We will return to the areas when we deem them a safe place to operate in. The safety of our employees is our number one priority.”
Meanwhile, Diepsloot residents said they were fed up with a lack of police visibility and are calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to visit the community and address its concerns about crime.
Diepsloot community forum chairperson, Loyiso Toyiy, said the residents had also torched shacks they alleged housed the criminals who terrorized the community.
“Since the president is not heeding our calls to come to Diepsloot, the people are in the streets burning tyres, burning infrastructure which is believed to be the hiding place for criminals.”
#EskomGauteng #ServicesWithdrawn
#Diepsloot #Marlboro
We have withdrawn our services from Diepsloot and Marlboro due to threats against our technicians. We will return to the areas when we deem it safe for our employees to operate. Their safety is important to us.
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) June 20, 2023
-EWN
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