Early one morning in Cape Town’s Tafelsig neighborhood, anger over illegal electricity cuts exploded into violence at the Swartklip Road Pump Station. Attackers smashed cameras, stole power cables, and left the vital sewage pumps broken and silent. This caused dangerous sewage buildup, threatening health and safety for the whole community. The crisis reveals how deep poverty and mistrust can turn essential city services into battlegrounds, showing that fixing pipes and wires isn’t enough without healing the people they serve.
