Four protestors have died during “free basic services” protests in Ekurhuleni Metro (Tembisa) which is located in the East Rand area of Johannesburg, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department confirmed on Tuesday.
The protests in Tembisa on Monday were triggered by outrage over the metropolitan’s budget cuts to subsidised basic services provided to the community.
Several vehicles belonging to the Ekurhuleni city were torched as the residents protested over the end to the subsidised cost of electricity and water as well as municipal rates and taxes, police said.
Ekurhuleni Metro mayor Tania Campbell said the decision to reduce the subsidy to the community was due to the National Treasury’s reduction in budget allocations to the municipality.
Campbell said the cost-cutting measures were implemented after her party, the Democratic Alliance, took over from the African National Congress which had been running the metro following the municipal elections last November.
Campbell said she would engage with the Gauteng Premier David Makhura to get more funds from National Treasury.
“We would have to go into discussions to see if we could get extra funds from National Treasury to be able to reinstitute the subsidies. But we cannot do this with the current budget that we have been given,” Campbell said.
NM/jn/APA