Protesters force Hogsback residents to lock themselves in

One of Eastern Cape's beautiful holiday towns, Hogsback, which nestles in the Amatola Mountains under the Nkonkobe Local Municipality has been shut down by angry protesters since this afternoon.

Residents from the town's new informal settlement cut down electricity,  water and other services into the town as they demanded to see their mayor, Anele Ntsangani, who allegedly failed to arrive to meet  with them.

Liz Hilton-Gray, who owns a house in the area said she heard this from her tenants that the town has been shut down.

“No one was harmed from my place but they had to lock themselves inside the house as they don't know what is happening. They can't even charge their phones and they had to wait for a vehicle to come back to be able to charge the phone and send pictures of what is happening,” said Hilton-Gray.

Resident, Donovan de Swardt  said all the roads leading to the town were closed, making it difficult for police to access the small scenic town. “This turned bad when the mayor failed to arrive to address these residents. We are out of power and there's no water. There's just nothing. The police were not able to reach the area,” said De Swardt.

Ntsangani could not be reached for comment.

De Swardt said this could go on for a long time. “We are expecting not to have services for  a couple of days. The residents are angry with the failure of the mayor to arrive and if he can arrive he might save the day for this town.”

Trevor Webster of Ikhaya Self-Catering Cottage said the situation was reaching a boiling point. “They've cut down some trees and I had to use my chainsaw to clear the road. I am on top of Hogsback and I don't know if the police have arrived or not down there,” said Webster.