Johannesburg Residents to Protest Over Dry Taps
Residents in several northern Johannesburg suburbs, including Melville, Westdene, Parktown West and Emmarentia, plan to protest in Melville over ongoing water outages, reports EWN. The areas rely on the Johannesburg Commando System, which has struggled to meet demand. Some residents say they have been without water for nearly a month. Johannesburg Water blames low reservoir levels caused by leaks and pipe failures. Melville resident Lizz Meiring said she will join the protest, accusing officials of poor communication and neglect, adding that residents have reported burst pipes for over a year without any repairs.
West Rand Farmers Arrested for Illegal Electricity Connections
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Two farmers in Randfontein, in the West Rand, have been arrested for allegedly stealing electricity and making illegal connections, according to SABC News. Eskom spokesperson Amanda Qithi said that the arrests follow ongoing operations aimed at curbing power theft and protecting the local network. At a third farm, a tampered meter led to the removal of a transformer. However, no arrest was effected as the farmer was unavailable. Qithi says investigations are continuing. One farmer was arrested for reconnecting electricity after being cut off for non-payment of a R1.1 million bill, as well as for tampering with meters and bypassing Eskom infrastructure. The second was arrested after Eskom found an illegally connected 100kVA transformer on a property that was only authorised for 25kVA.
R1 Million Paid for Wall That Was Never Built
The Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) is facing scrutiny after its acting CEO, Themba Mathibe, allegedly authorised a R1 million payment for a wall that was never built, reports EWN. A letter from former Human Settlements MMC Anthea Leitch shows the subcontractor was paid despite submitting fraudulent photos, and that Mathibe himself told the contractor not to proceed with the work. The case prompted internal and city forensic investigations, and Leitch further accused Mathibe of trying to recover the money without legal advice, which she said amounted to interference. Although the board recommended his suspension, JOSHCO did not act on it and later claimed there was no evidence to justify it, saying the funds had since been recovered. Mathibe remained in senior roles and recently made headlines after being arrested for suspected money laundering, with police also raiding JOSHCO offices as part of a wider probe into procurement irregularities.
