Johannesburg - The tense situation at eMalahleni has escalated after protesters in KwaGuqa Extension reportedly turned violent, with reports of looting and torching of the Pick 'n Pay Shopping Centre in Extension 5 late Monday.
Earlier scores of protesters blocked the N4, demanding to have their electricity and water crises attended to, and calling for the mayor to address them.
All entrances and exit roads were barricaded with stones and burning tyres.
In a statement, Mpumalanga police, revealed that one person was shot and taken to the hospital.
WATCH: Protesting residents of Vosman outside eMalahlenj have looted and set alight the @PicknPay centre in Ext 5. This follows a day of rolling protests over electricity which the township has been without for over 6 weeks after an overloaded transformer blew up #DVLPNG pic.twitter.com/1PCqrHhRA6
The statement read: "One person was shot and taken to hospital and succumbed to injuries sustained on Monday, November 7, 2022. Circumstances regarding the shooting of the 50-year-old woman are being investigated, while investigations are also under way looking into the allegations that the victim, as well as two others who reportedly sustained some injuries, were shot by a member or members of the police."
Mduduzi Mswati KaNkosi, the speaker of the Council of the eMalahleni Municipality, said the local authority had paid for the damaged transformer that had caused electricty outages.
"Yes, they have not had electricity for I think, the past three weeks and the municipality assurance is that they are hard at work and we have paid for the damaged transformer and spares.
“And remember that we do not have enough money as the municipality because it is difficult to generate revenue because people always complain that they are indigent and they are not working," he said.
He added that problems at the Kusile Power Station had also affected the municipality.
"Kusile closed down; Highveld closed down; they can't even pay their bonds. So in short, I can just say we also don't have enough money. What we have been assured by the executive and the media statements is that the transformer has been paid (for)."
Before setting the shopping centre ablaze, the protesters had requested that the mayor address them.
Upon her arrival, the Executive Mayor of Emalahleni Local Municipality, Cllr Connie Nkalitshana, was greeted by insults, with hundreds of protesters chasing her away.
More reports on the protest will follow.
The Star