PICS: Soweto protest chaos

SOWETO was brought to a standstill by gatvol residents on Monday, 20 June.

Some protesters said they had been without power for months. Others said they wanted Eskom to fix aging infrastructure that caused blackouts.

Chris Hani Road in Pimville and some streets in Jabulani were blocked with rocks, preventing private cars and taxis from accessing the streets. Police remained on high alert throughout the day, dispersing protesters.

Rea Vaya buses, which ferry thousands of commuters in and out of Soweto daily, were also disrupted.

Lucy Mohapi (60) from Pimville told Daily Sun they were tired of not having electricity.

“Eskom doesn’t want to change the transformers. These transformers are old. They malfunction, leak and switch off unexpectedly,” she said.

Protesters in Pimville, Soweto, removed the paving on the pavement and used the bricks to block Chris Hani Road. Photo by Trevor Kunene

Protesters in Pimville, Soweto, removed the paving on the pavement and used the bricks to block Chris Hani Road. Photo by Trevor Kunene

Protesters in Pimville, Soweto, removed the paving on the pavement and used the bricks to block Chris Hani Road. Photo by Trevor Kunene

The community of Pimville Soweto removed the paving on the side of the road and used it to block Chris Hani road complaining about electricity outage in the area, Police cleared the road for road users. Photo by Trevor Kunene Photo by

Protesters in Pimville, Soweto, removed the paving on the pavement and used the bricks to block Chris Hani Road. Photo by Trevor Kunene

Protesters in Pimville, Soweto, removed the paving on the pavement and used the bricks to block Chris Hani Road. Photo by Trevor Kunene

Dinny Mokoena (63), also from Pimville, said a whole section had been without electricity for three months.

Joburg Metro police spokesman Xolani Fihla said no arrests were made but police were monitoring the affected areas.

Eskom Gauteng spokeswoman, Amanda Qithi, said: “There is high failure of electrical equipment in Soweto. The failure is due to customers not paying for the electricity they use, buying from illegal vendors, meter bypassing and illegal connections. As a result, we have a huge backlog of transformers and mini-subs.”