Angry Tembisa residents brought parts of the township to a standstill on Monday, February 23, barricading major roads with burning tyres, rocks and debris in protest against electricity disconnections by the City of Ekurhuleni.
The unrest began on Sunday night, when residents blocked roads with stones and burning tyres in response to electricity cut-offs.
They have threatened mass protests over the disconnections linked to unpaid accounts.The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) confirmed the protest.
Brian Mazibuko Drive, RTJ Namane Drive and Emfihlweni were among the key routes shut down, with further disruptions reported along Andrew Mapheto Drive. Commuters were left stranded as tensions flared, with some forced to walk home amid the chaos.
The protest follows the metro’s intensified credit control campaign and the issuing of pre-termination notices for non-payment. Residents maintain that registered indigent and deemed indigent households were affected, amplifying frustration over soaring electricity costs, billing disputes and worsening service delivery.
As law enforcement, including EMPD’s First Response Unit, Public Order Policing and SAPS, monitored the volatile situation, the City scrambled to contain the fallout.
Acting Mayoral Spokesperson Ramotlo Tlotleng said Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Alderman Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, had taken note of the protest and the grievances raised by residents.
“The Executive Mayor acknowledges the seriousness of the issues brought forward and affirms the City’s commitment to engaging constructively with affected residents.”
In a decisive intervention, Xhakaza ordered an immediate suspension of pre-termination and termination notices, as well as the disconnection of indigent and deemed indigent households, pending a comprehensive investigation into the concerns raised by residents.
Tlotleng said the suspension would allow for administrative processes to unfold.
“This is to allow the administrative process to unfold for further internal processing that shall begin tomorrow 23 February 2026 until Friday, 27 February 2026,” he said.
Tlotleng also shared that the City also pledged to gradually restore electricity to affected households, prioritizing those registered as indigent or deemed indigent in accordance with the City’s criteria.
Looking beyond immediate relief, Tlotleng said the mayor announced plans for wider policy reform, including a review of the City’s indigent policy to ensure it is fair, responsive, and reflective of the socio-economic realities facing vulnerable communities.
The administration will also begin a process to cancel outstanding debt for registered and deemed indigent households, pending verification and alignment with city policies.
While reaffirming the importance of maintaining a culture of payment, Xhakaza stressed the municipality’s constitutional responsibility to protect vulnerable residents.
“No qualifying indigent household should be deprived of basic services due to administrative shortcomings or policy gaps.”
The City called for calm as investigations and engagements continue, reiterating that governance in Ekurhuleni must be anchored in “fairness, accountability, and responsiveness to the people.”
As anger mounts over the City’s handling of indigent households, opposition party ActionSA has strongly criticised the Executive Mayor, accusing him of acting unlawfully and worsening the financial strain on the City’s poorest residents.
ActionSA mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo, spokesperson Siyanda Makhubo, said the Executive Mayor does not have the authority to implement such a decision without Council approval, warning that any attempt to do so would amount to an unlawful overreach of executive power.
“This current intervention from the City is an illegal unilateral act by the Executive Mayor which he can’t implement, as the current policy on billing and indigent policy can only be amended, repealed or approved by Council. It follows then, that this is an illegal act that can’t be unilaterally implemented,” he said.
Beyond the legality of the announcement, Makhubo placed the crisis squarely at the City’s door, pointing to the July 2025 introduction of a new billing policy and tariff increases that also affected indigent households.
He said the changes left many of the poorest residents unable to afford their rates and taxes, leading to pre-termination notices and service disconnections.
Makhubo accused the City of ignoring repeated warnings from councillors as the situation escalated, forcing struggling residents into debt-rehabilitation programmes that further strained their limited incomes.
In his assessment, the municipality “has certainly failed residents in this regard with implementing bad policies that affect the poorest of the customers.”
While condemning the manner in which the intervention was announced, ActionSA made it clear it supports relief for vulnerable households.
“ActionSA not only supports this, ActionSA further supports efforts to assist customers to get on programmes such as the debt rehabilitation programme to avoid future problems such as being unable to pay for their rates and taxes,” Makhubo said.
He stressed that proper property valuations and fair tariff consultations are essential to prevent a repeat of the crisis.
Makhubo also confirmed the party will push for accountability through Council structures.
“Yes. ActionSA will propose a task team to be established within Council to play an oversight role as well as to use available committees within council to hold the executive accountable such as the Section 79 committees for Finance, Energy, and Water and Sanitation which are mandated to hold the Executive accountable.”
The Star
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