Ml Muhammad Bham | mbham@radioislam.co.za
30 May 2023 | 14:10 CAT
1 min read

Photo Credit: Radio Islam International

Roshnee residents are protesting at the entrance to the suburb over power cuts that extend for almost 18 hours per day.

Residents blockaded the R82 (old Johannesburg Vereeniging Road) between Roshnee and Rustervaal with rocks, burning tyres and other debris.

Resident Riaz Choonara said that after the hours of load shedding, electricity is switched off for a further three hours before being switched on again, leaving only a short period before the next bout of power cuts begins.

He added that the community was suffering from the outages and highlighted the plight of the sick who depend on oxygen machines that need electricity.

According to Choonara, tackling the problem with the government has been fruitless, as ESKOM employees made fun of the residents who complained.

Choonara said the protest was unnecessary as there was no other way to get their plight to the government.

Since the start of the extended power cuts, the mayor of the Emfuleni region, which Roshnee is a part of, has addressed nor met with members of the public to hear their grievances.

Tired of the government’s complacency with their issues, residents have started a memorandum with their demands to forward to the relevant stakeholders.

WATCH: here