Six municipalities that entered into a payment arrangement with Eskom over unpaid electricity bills are reneging on the deal.
The power utility has given the Mpumalanga municipalities - Nkomazi, Thaba Chweu, Mkhondo, Emakhazeni, Lekwa and Govan Mbeki - until April 11 to pay their bills or be cut off from the national grid.
They owe Eskom a total of R1.3-billion.
Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe told Sowetan yesterday they were still open to negotiations with the municipalities despite them defaulting on the arrangement to pay off their debt.
"First, on the previous year, the intervention from the task team from Salga [SA Local Government Association] and the provincial Cogta [cooperative governance and traditional affairs] gave good results. But municipalities did not complete their debt, some paid for two or three months and stopped. And for now the reason we've given them the deadline is because we wrote them letters and they kept quiet with no action plan on how they will pay back the money they owe.
"Our main objective is not to cut electricity off but to be assured on how we will get payment. Because we know that each time we cut electricity good payers are also affected, including those on prepaid, which needs municipalities to take a stand and talk to us and find an amicable way of settling the debt," said Phasiwe.
Phasiwe said municipalities all over the country owed Eskom R5.6-billion and Mpumalanga is one of the top three bad payers.
The Mpumalanga department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs blamed illegal connections for the ever-increasing electricity bills of the province's municipalities.
"The provincial government has in the last year, along with South African Local Government Association, Eskom and municipalities entered into an agreement to help the owing municipalities. That included instructing provincial government who owe municipalities to pay so that it could be easy for them to settle their bills at Eskom," said Mpumalanga Cogta spokesman George Mthethwa.
"We managed but there are problems of illegal connections where municipalities cannot account for electricity usage which is used illegally.
"We are now with the police and municipalities rooting out illegal connections.
"For the municipalities to meet the April 11 deadline given by Eskom, we will convene the task team from last year and help municipalities."
Towns must pay up or be cut off - Eskom
Six municipalities that entered into a payment arrangement with Eskom over unpaid electricity bills are reneging on the deal.
The power utility has given the Mpumalanga municipalities - Nkomazi, Thaba Chweu, Mkhondo, Emakhazeni, Lekwa and Govan Mbeki - until April 11 to pay their bills or be cut off from the national grid.
They owe Eskom a total of R1.3-billion.
Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe told Sowetan yesterday they were still open to negotiations with the municipalities despite them defaulting on the arrangement to pay off their debt.
"First, on the previous year, the intervention from the task team from Salga [SA Local Government Association] and the provincial Cogta [cooperative governance and traditional affairs] gave good results. But municipalities did not complete their debt, some paid for two or three months and stopped. And for now the reason we've given them the deadline is because we wrote them letters and they kept quiet with no action plan on how they will pay back the money they owe.
"Our main objective is not to cut electricity off but to be assured on how we will get payment. Because we know that each time we cut electricity good payers are also affected, including those on prepaid, which needs municipalities to take a stand and talk to us and find an amicable way of settling the debt," said Phasiwe.
Phasiwe said municipalities all over the country owed Eskom R5.6-billion and Mpumalanga is one of the top three bad payers.
The Mpumalanga department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs blamed illegal connections for the ever-increasing electricity bills of the province's municipalities.
"The provincial government has in the last year, along with South African Local Government Association, Eskom and municipalities entered into an agreement to help the owing municipalities. That included instructing provincial government who owe municipalities to pay so that it could be easy for them to settle their bills at Eskom," said Mpumalanga Cogta spokesman George Mthethwa.
"We managed but there are problems of illegal connections where municipalities cannot account for electricity usage which is used illegally.
"We are now with the police and municipalities rooting out illegal connections.
"For the municipalities to meet the April 11 deadline given by Eskom, we will convene the task team from last year and help municipalities."
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos