City on Edge as Viral Ekurhuleni Shutdown Call Sparks Debate

A call for an illegal citywide shutdown in Ekurhuleni is making the rounds on WhatsApp and while it’s rattled local authorities, many residents doubt it will amount to much.

The message, anonymous and impossible to trace, urges residents to “close all entrances” and bring daily life to a halt from 18 to 20 August, in protest against steep municipal tariffs and unresolved community grievances. It claims previous negotiations with the Gauteng legislature have failed, calling official responses “lies.”

City officials push back

City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed that intelligence agencies are investigating the source of the viral post.

“This kind of incitement… is not conducive to constructive discourse,” he said, warning of the dangers of stoking civil disobedience.

Will it actually happen?

Some local leaders are unconvinced the call will lead to a major protest. Councillor Simon Lapping believes residents’ appetite for mass action has dwindled.

“The last significant protest here was in May, when traffic officers blocked highways. Before that, you’d have to go back to the unrest after Jacob Zuma’s arrest in 2021,” he said. “People are tired. Big, coordinated protests just aren’t happening like they used to.”

Tariffs in the firing line

The shutdown message taps into a simmering frustration over rates and electricity charges, accusing the city of treating Ekurhuleni “like a cash cow.” It demands the cancellation not suspension of municipal tariffs and the scrapping of outstanding debts.

Residents are comparing their situation to other communities who buy electricity directly from Eskom at lower rates and still receive better service delivery.

For many, the resentment has been building since the city’s finance department stepped up debt collection efforts in the past six months, a programme the municipality says is working, but which some homeowners say is driving them to the brink.

Protests without momentum

Security analysts say South Africa’s protest culture has become more fragmented. Instead of sweeping national movements, the country is seeing short bursts of local unrest, like the Tembisa protests over electricity flat fees or housing-related clashes in Germiston.

Lapping believes that’s what will happen here: “These calls fizzle because there’s no unified front. Without numbers, nothing gains traction.”

Could the middle class step in?

One local security expert warns that discontent is growing even among those who have stayed silent. “The middle class might not be on the streets yet, but it only takes a few more hard knocks before they push back, whether through protests, boycotts, or other action,” he said.

For now, the city is watching, the chat groups are buzzing, and Monday’s calendar carries a question mark: Will this call to action echo across Ekurhuleni, or vanish like so many viral protests before it?

{Source: The Citizen}

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