GRASKOP – Two hotels filled with overseas guests struggled to have their power restored after council issued cut-off notices for electricity on Wednesday. The Graskop Hotel endured three hours without electricity, “and this is our busiest time of the year!” said an exasperated manager, Ms Ellen Stroud. The Flycatcher Castle, hosting Chinese guests, was not so lucky and was still running on generators on Thursday,
Thaba Chweu Municipality (TCM) issued notices to 88 properties in Graskop alone. A team of “burly” men as Stroud describes them, went around town, disconnecting the power at various properties, including her hotel. It is, she says, disconcerting that the council seemingly ignored a letter of dispute about rates which makes it illegal for it to disconnect her services. Mr Manie Connoway, owner of Flycatcher Castle, is in a similar situation, being in possession of a permanent interdict in his favour preventing council from cutting his electricity. Connoway’s interdict was granted after the court found that he did not owe the council R50 000 for electricity, as its billing system indicated. Council was, in fact, fined R60 000 for its actions. Now he hopes that the Magistrate’s Court can assist with issuing a warrant of arrest for the revenue manager at TCM, Mr Mike Mashilo.
Spokesman for and owner of electricity contractor Full Output, Mr Samora Molatjie, confirmed that it was issued with a list this week by TCM. “We only carry out the instructions, but if there is an interdict, we will verify this and reconnect the power,” said Molatjie. He commented that the majority of the property owners immediately paid the amounts they owed upon threat of disconnection, resulting in an income of almost half a million rand for TCM. “Graskop is one of the greatest problems for the municipality in terms of outstanding accounts,” he said, citing an amount reaching close to R20 million as the town’s contribution to the Eskom debt. According to him, the power to three hotels was restored yesterday afternoon.
Not so, said Connoway, who had to explain to his overseas guests why they would be left in the dark on Wednesday night. A letter dated July 25, 2013 from acting municipal manager at the time, Mr Surprise Maebela, stated that “the municipality will refrain from trying to cut Connoway’s electricity as per the court order obtained in or around 2012.” Maebela was removed from this position when provincial government installed an administrative task team to assist the struggling municipality.
Connoway’s frustration is understandable, as he now, once again, needs to pay legal fees to address the very same matter as two years ago.
It is not only Graskop residents who are feeling the brunt of a municipality in debt to Eskom. Molatjie said they would perform the same duties in Sabie and surrounding townships on Thursday. “I felt like a racist because we were only switching off white people’s power. But now in the townships they may throw us with rocks,” he added that they would only attempt to carry out this job with a police escort.
Mashilo could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.
