Gqeberha Protesters Torch Bus, Stone Truck, Demanding Electricity

Protesters torched a bus in Westville, Gqeberha.

Protests erupted in two informal settlements in KwaDwesi, Gqeberha on Tuesday. A bus was torched in Westville and a truck stoned in Bayland, as protesters demanded electricity and a plan for their settlements.

Traffic was disrupted as tyres were burnt on the busy Uitenhage (R75) and Mission Roads.

Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse Van Rensburg said a case of malicious damage to property had been opened after the bus was set alight. No one had been injured, she said. A case had also been opened after the stoning of the truck in Bayland.

“SAPS is monitoring the areas,” she said.

As fires were burning on the R75, ward 52 councillor Frans Swanepoel (DA) arrived with two senior officials from the office of the mayor. They were booed by the protesters, who numbered about 200.

A resident shouted, “We will not listen to these liars. We want to see the mayor [Babalwa Lobishe].”

Protesters left the officials and the councillor and went to their shacks, vowing to return to the road later.

Bayland leader Mziyanda Mdiniso said residents had been demanding electrification since 2023.

He said the settlement had been started in 2017 and now had 4,600 shacks. The company contracted to electrify the settlement had said there was no budget. “Despite that, we have learnt there is a R6-million budget for Bayland,” he said.

“We have been protesting peacefully,” said resident Asanda Kato, “and there is no vandalism. All we want is electrification. There are electricity poles that have been standing there for three years, without wires.” Only 50 shacks had been electrified, he said.

At Westville informal settlement, a bus was burnt and stripped in front of the police. When a tow truck arrived, a resident shouted: “Let’s burn it as well.”

Chairperson of the Westville Development Committee Sipho Ntsondwa said residents wanted a plan for the settlement. He said municipal officials had failed to attend planning meetings.

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said providing electricity to Nelson Mandela Bay’s more than 136 informal settlements was “a complex task”, with backlogs and budget constraints.

“Despite these challenges, the municipality is providing electricity and other basic services to ease the load.”

Bayland protesters went back to their homes, vowing to resume the protest.

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