MATLOSANA – The Executive Mayor of the City of Matlosana, Cllr Fikile Mahlophe, has officially applauded community members for maintaining a peaceful and orderly protest at the local Scatec renewable energy project site on Wednesday, 23 July 2026.
The demonstration was sparked by mounting community concerns over the company’s recruitment protocols. Protesters raised critical allegations regarding unfair hiring practices and expressed frustration over a lack of communication from project developers regarding socioeconomic benefits, particularly concerning opportunities for local Small, Medium, and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) and unemployment relief for local residents.
Mahlophe acknowledged the frustrations of the community, noting that residents have a democratic right to voice their concerns. However, he specifically praised the community for ensuring that their grievances were aired without resorting to the destruction of infrastructure or violence, highlighting that constructive dialogue is the best path forward.
“We understand and share the community’s concerns regarding equitable participation in local economic opportunities,” Mahlophe stated. “I applaud our residents for exercising their right to protest peacefully. It shows maturity and a commitment to resolving these pressing matters through constructive engagement rather than destruction.”
In response to the issues raised, the Executive Mayor has committed to facilitating urgent discussions between the community leadership, Scatec project representatives, and municipal stakeholders.
The municipality aims to ensure that renewable energy projects operating within Matlosana adhere to fair recruitment guidelines and actively contribute to the upliftment of local businesses and job seekers.
Statec representatives Joseph Ofaletse Moroka and Tshepiso declined to comment on the City Report questions, instead deflecting all media inquiries by promising to redirect questions to the organization’s official spokesperson. To date, no further correspondence or official statement has been provided.
City Report understands that Mahlophe, Scatec, and other relevant stakeholders held a follow-up meeting on Thursday morning, 23 July 2026. The engagement was meant to directly address critical grievances raised by community members.
According to our sources, the Thursday morning meeting was postponed so that key “decision-makers” from Scatec could join the negotiations. The goal of the delay is to allow executives to make immediate, actionable adjustments to current project operations.
Stakeholders are now waiting to see if corporate leadership will offer binding commitments to resolve these economic and communication breakdowns.
