Burials suspended in Thembisa over protests, Eskom withdraws services

The city of Ekurhuleni says because of the protests in Thembisa over the past few days, burial services in the township have been cancelled.

As a result, the municipality has not conducted any burials since Monday. There were no burials on Tuesday and no burials were scheduled for Wednesday.

“The city will continue to monitor the situation through the division of parks and cemeteries.  The city intends to resume burial operations on Thursday August 4,” the municipality’s spokesperson Zweli Dlamini  said.

Eskom also said on Tuesday it had withdrawn services in Thembisa because of the protests.

“Services will resume only when it is safe for our employees to work in the area,” Eskom said.

Residents were protesting against soaring electricity prices. Municipal property was torched and damaged during the protests on Monday. Four people were killed as authorities reacted to the unrest. 

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