Stilfontein Illegal Miners Rescue Delayed Over Safety Concerns
In Stilfontein, hundreds of illegal miners are yet to come to the surface, more than a week after a rescue team was dispatched to the area, reports IOL. The team, led by the local government, recently took over an ongoing operation to stage a fresh rescue mission to bring illegal miners to the surface faster. The new plan includes constructing an unmanned cage to carry the zama zamas up the shaft. Wessels Morweng, MEC for Community Safety in North West, says he has not yet seen the mining experts' safety assessment report. More than 1,200 illegal miners have resurfaced from the area between now and October.
Eskom Offers Replacement Meters to Soweto Residents
Power utility Eskom will replace prepaid electricity meters in Soweto for residents who previously bought tokens from unregistered vendors, reports IOL. After November 24, meters will only accept tokens from Eskom-approved vendors, leaving many residents in queues to update their devices. Some missed the deadline due to damaged meters, illegal connections, or non-compliant tokens. Eskom warned that non-updated meters would stop working and imposed a R6,000 penalty for illegal connections.
Taxi Owners Demand Direct Talks with Joburg Mayor
IOL reports that the City of Johannesburg believes that external forces may be working to derail talks with taxi owners who have not received compensation for making way for the Rea Vaya system. Top Six, a taxi association, said that 317 taxis were removed from city streets nearly two decades ago with owners promised R830,000 per vehicle. A meeting in Soweto between Transport MMC Kenny Kunene and frustrated taxi owners ended in conflict, as they insisted Mayor Dada Morero address them directly. The dispute revolves around the recent introduction of 45 feeder buses, which owners and associations claim was done without consulting key stakeholders, including taxi drivers and bosses.
