Ramaphosa residents protest over six-year wait for electricity

• Residents of Ramaphosa informal settlement in Brown’s Farm, Philippi, protested by barricading Govan Mbeki Road with burning tyres and stones, demanding electricity.
• Community leader Babalwa Siswana said residents have been requesting electricity for over six years, but their pleas have been ignored.
• The City of Cape Town stated that electrification depends on a network upgrade, which requires the relocation of some informal structures to proceed.

Enraged Ramaphosa informal settlement residents in Browns Farm, Philippi, barricaded Govan Mbeki Road with burning tyres and stones during a service delivery protest on Monday 24 February.

They accused the City of Cape Town of not addressing their grievances.
Community leader Babalwa Siswana said they only need electricity in the area.
She said they have stayed in the neighbourhood for over six years and have continuously asked for the installation of electricity by the City.

The officers are monitoring the continuation at Govan Mbeki Road near Ramaphosa informal settlement in Browns Farm.

“All we want is electricity. We’ve been engaging with the City officials but our pleas fall on deaf ears. Initially, when we arrived here, the officials told us that we were on a private land and there was nothing they could do. But we heard in 2022 that the City bought the land and it promised to build a sub-station near Sheffield Road (opposite Ramaphosa),” she explained.

She added that the community would protest until their grievances were heard.
The City’s mayco member for Energy Xanthea Limberg said the Ramaphosa electrification project relied on a network upgrading project. She said no additional connections can be added without the additional electricity capacity being made available.

“In order to strengthen the network, a substation has to be installed. For this, we are dependent on relocation of informal structures that need to move to make way for our infrastructure.

“The City is dependent on residents’ support and thanks residents for their cooperation during this time,” said Limberg.
She stated that the City has an open-door policy and residents are always encouraged to approach the municipality in good faith, in a peaceful and constructive manner.

“We take grievances seriously and will consider all matters raised by the community,” she said.