MONDAY, 8.00AM
The houses of three councillors were burnt down over the weekend in separate incidents on the East Rand and Mpumalanga, as part of a violent campaign against town councils that cut electricity to non-paying residents.
In Tsakane township near Boksburg, residents first assembled at the local soccer stadium for a protest meeting against he electricity cuts, then marched back into town and burnt down the houses of two Brakpan town councillors, Tshidi Tsoane and Ace Phiri.
Later, five men who admitted to have been part of the mob that burnt the houses down fled to the police station to protect themselves against another vengeful mob. Police arrested the five, who will appear in court today.
In Secunda, Mpumalanga, where the house of the mayor was burnt down on Thursday, the home of a second councillor, Risco Fakude, was attacked on Friday night, with a petrol bomb flung into the bedroom that narrowly missed his wife and baby. Five council vehicles were also damaged, and a local bus and furniture truck set alight.
The disputes over electricty payment are a throwback to the apartheid era, when entire communities refused to pay rates and electricity — and have been refusing to pay ever since. Most attempts by elected, ANC dominated councils to negotiate the reinstatement of rates payments have failed, and tough action such as cutting services has blown up into violent confrontations.