Pressure on eMalahleni to pay electricity bill

MORE than 350 000 people could have their electricity interrupted if the eMalahleni Municipality does not pay R900m to Eskom in five days’ time.

The defaulting municipality in Mpumalanga is one of five that the power utility has decided to limit after billions of rand on electricity bills remain outstanding.

While eMalahleni has less than a week to pay R900m of its R2bn bill before the utility starts its interruption plans, other municipalities have already had intentional power cuts in the Northern Cape and the North West.

Eskom announced yesterday that of the 34 municipalities scheduled for interruptions this month, it has received payments and signed plans with 21.

These municipalities have had their supply interruptions suspended.

Eskom interim chief executive Matshela Koko said: “We are immensely encouraged by the kind of response we are witnessing presently, and would like to thank all the municipalities that have made an effort to pay their accounts, and committed to their payment agreements.

“Others have until tomorrow to settle their debts.”

Despite efforts by AfriForum to prevent the cuts, the high court in Pretoria dismissed the advocacy group’s bid earlier this month. Eskom cited “laws and standards for its bid to collect overdue debt, and failure to comply has dire consequences for the entity”.

Eskom said it would interrupt power supply from 6am to 8am and 5pm to 7.30pm on weekdays, and from 8.30am to 11am, and 3pm to 5.30pm on weekends.

Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, eMalahleni’s executive mayor, said the reason why the municipality was in such bad debt was due to illegal electricity connections in the informal settlements, and residents failing to pay their bills for years.

“We have a team out already cutting all illegal connections. We are out there removing all the illegal connections in the informal settlements.

“We are also cutting those who owe us money in all residential households, government departments and businesses who have failed to pay us,” said Ntshalintshali, adding that since December, the municipality paid R111m to Eskom.

She is hoping that payment of the bill will be made by January 23.

Meanwhile, the Dihlabeng and Masilonyana municipalities in the Free State have defaulted on their payments to Eskom, and as a result their electricity supply will be interrupted.