DA worried about impact of ‘load shedding’ on Joburg residents

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it is extremely concerned about the impact “load shedding” will have on the lives of residents and businesses due to the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).

The party said it is also concerned about regional power utility City Power’s failure to settle its Eskom account.

In a battle over billing involving billions of rands, Eskom served a notice of intention to interrupt the power supply to the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and City Power at certain pre-determined times of the day.

Load shedding

Eskom said the  CoJ and/or City Power currently owe Eskom an amount of R4.9 billion, excluding the current account of a further R1.4 billion which will become due and payable at the end of November 2024.

“Despite all the avenues that Eskom explored and efforts to accommodate the CoJ, the matter has reached a point where Eskom can simply no longer afford to accommodate the CoJ without putting further financial strain on and harming its own business,” Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said on Thursday.

ALSO READ: Pay up or we will cut your lights: Eskom warns Joburg over R6.3bn bill

DA Johannesburg Caucus Leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said  the party is “deeply disturbed at the allegations of a systemic capture, and mismanagement at City Power.”

“This mismanagement has resulted in the CoJ teetering on the brink of a mass power interruption by Eskom.

“Law-abiding residents have been paying their bills and will now be unfairly treated by having their electricity cut due to no fault of their own but because of the ineptitude of the ANC-EFF-ActionSA-PA coalition in the city,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.

Rebuke

City Power and the City of Johannesburg issued a sharp rebuke of Eskom issuing a notice of intention to cut off electricity at pre-determined times in some parts of Johannesburg because of its massive debt.

City Power CFO Tebogo Moraka said Eskom has failed to provide clarity on disputed billing charges, forcing the city to seek legal recourse to protect the rights and interests of its citizens.

“We urge Eskom to retract its public notice and engage in genuine, good-faith negotiations to resolve these matters constructively.”

Moraka said Eskom’s “pay now and resolve disputes later” approach worsened the financial strain on the city.

Final decision

He said the city is consulting with its legal team to explore legal avenues to prevent any disruptions to electricity supply

“We urge Eskom to reassess its stance and engage with the city in finding a mutually beneficial resolution. In the meantime, the city has formally requested that Eskom retract its public notice within five days.”

Eskom said a final decision on whether it will proceed with the interruption will be communicated after a review of the representations received through the Provision of Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) process on 12 December 2024.

ALSO READ: City Power granted leave to appeal Eskom ruling on billing dispute