Electricity cut off in Tumahole township

Electricity in Tumahole Township, Free State was cut off after the Transvaal provincial authority decided that it would no longer provide municipalities facing a consumer electricity and rent boycott, with financial support to service arrears caused by the non-payment of services. The cut-off included other services such as water and waste removal. The water cut-off in Tumahole left residents with less than 10% of water, which was not enough to cover their daily basic needs. Tumahole residents responded by calling on workers to stay away from their work and scholars also boycotted their classes to demonstrate their solidarity with their parents. These boycotts added to an earlier boycott of White-owned shops. The boycott successfully put pressure on the municipality and the provincial authority to restore electricity and resume other services on 13 September. Moreover, the R7 million arrears was written off and the much hated Black Township Council resigned. The resignation of the Black Township Council was considered an important victory for the Township residents because since their inception the African National Congress (ANC) and United Democratic Front (UDF) have called for grass roots revolts and defiance to bring about their collapse. As a result of these developments, the Tumahole Civic Association, which was responsible for organising the six year old long boycott, decided to lift the boycott and encouraged residents to pay for services rendered by the municipality.