As September 2020 draws to a close, one cannot help but wonder, what has happened to the year? Especially when looking back at the past few months, with the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown editing so many elements of our day to day lives.
With our lives changing in several aspects, we look at some of the highlights that took place in September 2019. A time in our lives which some might view with fondness; but was filled with its own challenges and obstacles never the less.
Who can forget the shutdown of Newcastle? If you have, let us take a look into the past…
Braving a cool Friday morning and drizzling rain on 5 September 2019, protestors took a united stand against the Newcastle Municipality.
The protest against the increase in the rates, as well as the debt owing to Eskom by the Newcastle Municipality, began in the early hours of the morning, as protestors blocked various roads to ensure a total shutdown of Newcastle, KZN.
At the time, Newcastle Mayor Ntuthuko Mahlaba denied meetings with protestors prior to the protest action, claiming he had previous meetings to attend to. However, the protestors demanded that their voices were heard.
In light of the demonstration, various businesses in the CBD closed their doors, ensuring their voices would not go unheard by Newcastle Municipality, joining in on the protest action in support of the movement.
Several schools also closed their doors on the day due to the protests, thereby making sure children were not affected by any potential risks which could arise from the day’s proceedings.
When referring to the debt owed by the Newcastle Municipality to Eskom, who remembers the power utility’s threat of leaving Newcastle in the dark?
Last year this time, Newcastillians were concerned about facing power outages, following a notice issued by Eskom. The notice claimed that as of 30 September 2019 to 6 October 2019, there would be scheduled disconnections. The schedule claimed Newcastillians could expect power cuts as follows:
- Monday to Friday, from 6 am until 9 am and again from 5 pm to 8 pm.
- Saturday and Sunday, there would be interruptions from 8.30 am until 12 pm. This will be followed by further interruptions from 3 pm until 8 pm.
- From 7 October 2019, until the breach was remedied, there would be power interruptions from 6 am until 8 pm.
The notice also stated that notwithstanding the above proposed indicative times for the interruption of electricity, Eskom may, upon 15 days’ calendar notice, disconnect electricity entirely and indefinitely should the electricity debt situation not improve.
Following Eskom’s notice, the Mayor’s office issued a notice pertaining to the matter. The notice stated the Newcastle Municipality had not received any formal communication from Eskom, which stipulated they would be cutting the town’s electricity. Furthermore, the notice stated the municipality would be applying for a High Court interdict against Eskom.
Moving away from municipal issues, let us not forget how on 26 September 2019, looters escaped with free beer. Don’t remember? Let us reflect on the incident…
On the morning of 26 September 2019, looters made off with a substantial amount of beer, after a truck overturned on the Volksrust Road.
According to a police officer on the scene, the truck driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle at approximately 8 am. At the time of the incident, the police officer said while it was unclear why the truck driver lost control, shortly after the vehicle overturned, people started looting the truck of the beer it was transporting.
According to the police officer, when authorities arrived on the scene, looters had already started removing the alcohol from the truck.
Apparently, there was an estimate of 200 people. The officer said, “Someone must have smelled the leakage and started phoning their friends and the message must have got around. Vehicles were actually blocking traffic at one stage.”
The truck driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
As Newcastillians begin to emerge from a traumatic year, let us not forget September 2019 also had its challenges and uncertainties but true to human nature we came out of them stronger.
Author: Quinton Boucher
Edited: Calvin Swemmer
