A bottle store and a KFC outlet were looted in Dube, Soweto, on Sunday night, apparently during a protest against Eskom installing pre-paid electricity meters in the area, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Locals, apparently residents of the Dube Hostel, also tried to break open two ATMs next to the KFC, but police arrived and the culprits fled empty-handed, Gauteng traffic police spokesperson Obed Sibasa said on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
He said the violence began at around 19:00. Police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said no arrests were made and nobody was injured.<\/p>\n
Some of Soweto\u2019s residents feel entitled to free electricity as it was one of the things promised to them when the country gained democracy in 1994, a local told News24 last month.<\/p>\n
On Friday,\u00a0City Press reported that Eskom has offered Soweto residents a deal where it offers to negotiate on their outstanding bills if they install prepaid meters and start paying for electricity.<\/p>\n
The City Press quoted the Gauteng General Manager of Eskom, Bandile Jack, as saying that they are considering wiping the debt of users who agree to install prepaid meters.<\/p>\n
Soweto owes Eskom in the region of R8 billion, and has a payment rate of approximately 16%.<\/p>\n
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