Community leaders and crime fighters are urging Eskom to suspend rolling power cuts in gang-infested communities at night. The call comes after a surge in deadly shootings across several areas, following the resumption of load shedding at the weekend.
Tragically, one person was killed and two others were left wounded during a four-hour bout of power cuts in Manenberg on Sunday. Reports indicate that three separate shooting incidents occurred on Don Road, Hurricane Road, and Erica Court between 20h00 and midnight.
Residents argue that power outages exacerbate the already high levels of crime in their communities, creating a dangerous environment. The country is currently dealing with stage 2 power cuts, after citizens were hit with stages 3 and 6 in recent days. The power utility anticipates that the current problems at power stations will be resolved by the end of this week.
“The areas that we are specifically calling for are Mitchell’s Plain, Nyanga, Delft, Gugulethu, Hanover Park and Manenberg. These are the areas where it has a contributing factor towards crime. We are calling on Eskom to exempt these areas,” said the Cape Flats Safety Forum’s chairperson, Abie Isaacs.
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