Durban - The uMngeni Municipality in Howick has appealed to residents not to resort to violence after some blocked the R103 at Lions River, just after the Mandela Capture Site, over electricity supply issues on Monday.
In a statement on Monday, the municipality said the Lions River community which was protesting against the lack of electricity, was still blocking the R103 illegally.
“We plead with members of the community to be calm and not resort to any form of violence or engage in vandalism or destroy any infrastructure that will later negatively affect them,” said the municipality.
The municipality said it had written to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to expedite a meeting between the community and Eskom.
The municipality also requested that Cogta assist with keeping the public order police on standby until the situation is resolved.
It said private security as well as the uMngeni Traffic enforcement were on the ground to control the situation.
“After numerous attempts to get the SAPS to attend to the scene, it seems they have gone AWOL and ignored numerous calls to attend to this area. Their lack of accountability is no wonder the country and the province are in a death trap.
“We call upon the police force to be deployed with immediate effect in the area,” said the municipality.
The municipality also called on Eskom, who is the main supplier of electricity in the area, to urgently address residents in the area.
THE MERCURY