Residents in Alexandra stop City Power's disconnection teams
Angry residents of River Park, Alexandra, were quick to react and immediately stopped an operation by City Power to cut illegal electricity connections in the area on Thursday.
Commotion erupted as the community came together and stopped the officials from disconnection, demanding they turn the electricity back on and leave.
Dillo Moche, 49, is frustrated that City Power randomly cuts off power after having agreed on a date with the community. Moche wanted the operation to start elsewhere, where people steal and do not pay for electricity, including informal settlements which have developed around River Park.
'Out of this entire ward, they chose to cut off the power in River Park only. Alexandra doesn't pay for electricity and there are informal settlements which surround River Park that do not pay at all but rather steal electricity, using cables.'
Moche said the community did not mind paying but the problem of disconnection continued.
'We are willing to pay but they will still disconnect the electricity. We had agreed that City Power will come on 9 June and check for those who have bridged electricity so that they can fix the problem and be able to pay the R500 rate, but here they are now to disconnect without notifying us.'
Tlaleng Mmoa, 48, who has been living in River Park ever since it was established, admits that there are some illegal connections and that other houses have bypassed meters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mail & Guardian
an hour ago
- Mail & Guardian
Calls grow to address marginalisation of boys in education system
With youth month around the corner, education support networks have raised the alarm on the persistent underperformance and marginalisation of boys in the education system. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) With youth month around the corner, education support networks have raised the alarm on the persistent underperformance and marginalisation of boys in the education system. 'Girls are now outperforming boys in National Senior Certificate results and bachelor's degree graduations, which is a positive achievement, but why are boys not matching up to that percentage?' asked former Gauteng education minister, Mary Metcalfe. Malose Langa, the author of Becoming Men, said: 'Boys are underperforming and there is no light shed on this issue — we need an equal society in the workplace and out in the community.' Recent Moreover, the 2023 National Senior Certificate results indicate that although boys and girls had similar pass rates (82.92% and 82.88% respectively), boys are more prone to dropping out before completing grade 12. Kathryn Kure of Data Myna, an analytics platform, describes the issue as 'complex', emphasising that boys are particularly at risk of falling behind during their early schooling years. 'Gendered norms play a significant role. Boys are often expected to be dominant, self-reliant and emotionless. These expectations clash with the demands of modern learning environments,' she said. A report by the Zero-Dropout Campaign highlights that boys are dropping out of school at higher rates than girls, largely because of entrenched gender norms and social expectations. The report, titled, The research suggests that from an early age, boys are socialised into rigid and often violent forms of masculinity, making them more susceptible to bullying and less likely to feel a sense of belonging at school. According to the report, this emotional detachment contributes to a gradual withdrawal from learning. 'Dropout comes at the end of a long process of disengagement in which learners are pushed or pulled away from school because of factors at home, at school and in their communities,' said the campaign's communications director, Colin Wardle. 'When educators, school leaders and decision-makers are aware of the factors driving disengagement and drop-out, they will be in a better position to implement drop-out prevention strategies.' The study also links dropout to socio-economic pressures, particularly for boys in single-parent households who may be expected to take on provider roles. Other contributing factors include gang involvement, substance abuse and experiences of corporal punishment, all of which compound the problems boys face in staying in school. 'Boys can become easily pressured into harmful acts which will jeopardise their future all because they did not have school-based initiatives that encouraged boys to express emotions and challenge harmful gender norms,' said Langa. During the department of basic education's commemoration of International Day of the Boy Child, TT Mbha, the founder of the men's wellness network Amatyma Brotherhood Circle, emphasised the need for community-based support networks to address the feeling of isolation among boys. 'Young boys often do not have strong father figures in their lives, and that is where community members should step in and guide them to make good choices to raise confident and capable young men,' Mbha said. A According to the report, in 2022, the out-of-school rate for South African children and adolescents of primary and secondary school age was 10.54% for boys, compared to 8.17% for girls. In response to these issues, the department of basic education said it has committed to improving foundational learning for all children. 'Through our global efforts to uplift women, and the girl child in particular, there is the unintended consequence of leaving the boy child behind in our classrooms and our communities,' said Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube during the commemoration of International Day of the Boy Child. 'Boys are either disengaging in schools or they are repeating grades. This has a societal impact, and we need to make sure that we are supporting boys and giving them space to be vulnerable to become positive male models, and to grow up to be responsible men, citizens and leaders, not engaging in violence.' The department said it has launched initiatives which include the implementation of programmes aimed at enhancing reading, writing, and maths skills among primary pupils. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that no child is left behind in the pursuit of quality education. But advocacy groups such as Equal Education argue that more comprehensive measures are necessary. 'We need to establish the importance of addressing systemic issues such as unequal resource allocation and the need for inclusive policies that cater to the diverse needs of all learners,' said Equal Education's Noncedo Madubedube.
The Herald
10 hours ago
- The Herald
Foreigners without proper paperwork arrested in Gqeberha
At least 30 foreigners were arrested in Gqeberha on Sunday for allegedly being in the country without proper documentation. Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the arrests on Sunday night. 'The department of immigration arrested a total of 30 foreigners,' he said. 'Twenty are being held at the Mount Road police station and 10 at the Humewood police station.' According to Beetge, the foreigners were believed to have come from a township in Addo and later sought refuge at a church in Gqeberha. 'The department of immigration, which falls under the home affairs directorate, effected the arrests,' he said. 'That department has a whole section that can arrest people in terms of SA's home affairs and immigration laws.' 'For further details, please contact home affairs directly.' Home affairs spokesperson Duwayne Esau indicated he would respond on Monday morning. Last weekend, clashes between locals and foreigners broke out in Addo in response to the murder of a community member outside a tavern on the Saturday. Residents from Valencia in Addo then took to the streets and allegedly attacked foreigners in the area. A further three people were killed and at least 10 others injured. Some of the foreigners then sought shelter at a church in Gqeberha. The Herald
IOL News
14 hours ago
- IOL News
Trump allies' fact finding mission on white farmers and genocide may not change US President's mind
US President Donald Trump's narrative on white farmers received a backlash from his ally, Pastor Mark Burns (right). Image: X Mark Burns, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has returned from a visit to South Africa with a message contradicting claims of genocide against white farmers in the country. However experts believe that Trump always knew that there was no white genocide in the country and even if Burns advises the US President otherwise, this will not make a difference. Burns, who is the founder and CEO of the NOW television network, met with white Afrikaner farmers and business owners during his trip and concluded that there is no evidence to support the claims of genocide. According to Burns, the farmers he met were shocked to discover that such claims were being made. "You were able to hear their perspectives. "From their point of view, being white Afrikaners, there is absolutely no genocide or white genocide in South Africa," Burns said. He added that the farmers were more concerned about crime and safety, rather than genocide. Burns cited statistics provided by a white farmer, which showed that out of 5,200 murders in the last reporting quarter, only 12 were related to farmers, and only three of those were white. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading "You clearly see that based on those statistics, and this was given to me by a farmer, a white farmer, and that to me speaks extreme volumes," he said. Despite the controversy, Burns is optimistic about the future of US-South Africa relations. He believes that a stronger South Africa is a stronger America, and vice versa. "If we are going to continue to make America great, partnering with South Africa is one of the components to do it," he said. Burns The question remains whether Burns' claims will change Trump's "belief" that there is a white genocide in South Africa. International relations expert Rich Mashimbye said for a while, the SA-US diplomatic tensions centred around the Trump-led government's accusations that the Ramaphosa government, was persecuting white South Africans and confiscating land from Afrikaner farmers while remaining silent. He said it did not matter what people said because Trump was aware there was no white genocide in South Africa but wanted to use the claim to get his way. 'As president of a country with one the largest embassies that is fully staffed in South Africa, Trump has access to all the information he requires about South Africa's transformation project and he likely knows that the issues of land reform and crime dynamics are not as has been portrayed so far. 'He knows that there is no genocide happening nor confiscation of white owned farms in South Africa. It is likely that the diplomatic attacks directed at South Africa are aimed at discouraging the Ramaphosa government from robustly executing the transformation project,' he said. Political analyst Sandile Swana said Burns' public statements were encouraging and showed that not everyone in Trump's camp agreed with him. 'To me they represent signs from the Trump's they have to tell a different story, which they are now doing…and a different story they are now telling is that whatever crime that is happening, is not a genocide but just crime that needs to be attended to." "There are about 600 American companies in South Africa such as Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, the Ford Motor Company and so on, so quite clearly the sources of information they have used (for the genocide claims) were not genuine. He said the country should welcome the efforts of Burns and hope that his camp will start to change their narrative to a much more sensible one.
