A police vehicle patrols the corner of Eastbury and Stonebridge Road in Phoenix after it was blocked by protesters. Protests erupted in Phoenix after a 40-hour power outage over the weekend. Photo: Supplied
- After a 40-hour power outage in Phoenix over the weekend, angry residents took to the streets to protest and burn tires.
- Political opportunism was blamed for fueling the protests.
- The district councilor blames aging and inadequate infrastructure for the power failure.
After a 40-hour power outage from Friday to Monday morning, angry residents and some business owners took to the streets in Phoenix, north of Durban. Tires were burned and roads were closed. Traffic was disrupted and had to be diverted.
In video footage GroundUp has seen, a passenger filming the protest Sunday night had his phone taken away. When the passenger got out of the vehicle to retrieve his phone, he was robbed, beaten with sticks, and forced to flee.
The protests began on Sunday with about 80 people near the Eastbury grounds. By Monday morning, there were only about 20 protesters gathered in Grove End.
The blackout was not the first, but it was one of the longest experienced by residents in recent months. There is also water rationing and there are problems with uncollected garbage.
Local Community Policing Forum (CPF) Chairman Umesh Singh said politicians were manipulating people to stoke discontent.
He said that the power outage was caused by aging infrastructure and that the protests were not going to solve a problem that required expertise and time.
He said community groups, such as the CPF, were looking to help the “broken” eThekwini township.
READ | Calm has been restored to the Durban suburb after residents blocked roads and burned tires to protest the shedding of cargo.
Singh said it was “low-minded” for people to destroy the infrastructure they need to survive on a daily basis just to get the attention of the municipality. He said Phoenix was still fighting because of infrastructure damage during the 2021 riots.
District 49 Councilor Tino Pillay of the DA said power had been restored in three districts as of 1:30 a.m. Monday, except for two roads in District 48 that had additional faults.
He said the power outage over the weekend was not the result of load loss, but rather a cable malfunction, caused by load spikes on the lines when power was turned back on. At the same time, there was a second cable failure at 50 meters and a third at about 5 km.
He said the process of attaching the replacement cables was easily a 20-hour job that included manually digging trenches, procuring parts and managing surges so no more breaks would occur.
Pillay also blamed the eThekwini municipality’s outdated infrastructure and “broken system”, which included supply chain management. He said that everyone knew that the government had not maintained or expanded the infrastructure as the population grew.
He also blamed political incitement for the protests. He said the protesters were misinformed.
The blamed policy
On Sunday, a statement by Inkatha Freedom Party Councilor Jonathan Annipen on eThekwini municipal letterhead indicated that municipal staff members had been removed from Phoenix due to threats to their safety.
Annipen said that Maxwell Mthembu, head of the eThekwini township, had told him that a political party had threatened to harm township staff. Annipen declined to say who or what party.
The message was not well received by the Phoenix DA and CPF, who said they had spoken to Mthembu and that no staff member had been threatened or removed from the site.
Members of the public also criticized Annipen for inflaming the situation.
Speaking to GroundUp on Tuesday, Annipen said that while he defended his statement, he now viewed parts of it as “scarm-mongering,” admitting he only had evidence of rumored political threats and had not actually witnessed threats against municipal staff. . She said the IFP would not support violent protests that damage property and infrastructure.
Singh said the CPF would have protected municipal staff while they worked if there had been any danger.
In a voice note on a private Phoenix WhatsApp group, an individual made protest calls asking residents to join him in protesting against eThekwini Township and the District Attorney. The note claims that ActionSA members were present and supported the protests.
But ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Chairman Zwakele Mncwango said they knew nothing about the voice memo and did not condone violence. However, he said: “Protesting is a constitutional right enjoyed by all South Africans. Unfortunately, our government [listens] to protest the language before doing anything.”
Claims were circulating on social media that thousands of Rand worth of food had to be thrown away as Durban temperatures topped 30°C during the blackout. Community WhatsApp groups began calling on residents to protest.
A First Call Assist source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the service was inundated with requests for assistance in Phoenix during the 40-hour power outage. She said some residents relied on fans, others on running their businesses from home, and the power outage was disastrous for them. Fortunately, however, no calls for medical assistance were received during the outage.
Meanwhile, Pillay said residents could claim for losses caused by the blackout through the Sizakhala outpatient care centre. He said that for a successful claim, one had to show purchase receipts and that claimants would be better off visiting the center for help in person.
Phoenix has seen booming development over the past decade, including privately built and leased apartment blocks. Services are tense.
Pillay said the community could expect service interruptions for the foreseeable future and that residents should consider alternative solutions such as gas systems, solar power and inverters.
GroundUp contacted Mthembu and also City Manager Mbhele for comment on Annipen’s claims, but they had not responded at the time of publication.
