Pretoria High Court plunged into darkness after power outage

The Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria has been plunged into darkness, and the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) said all operations have been temporarily halted.

“Members of the public, court users and legal practitioners are advised that the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria, will temporarily cease operations today, Tuesday, 18 February 2025, due to a power outage in the Tshwane CBD affecting the Court.”

No Power

The OCJ said the court’s generators are currently out of commission and not working.

“Affected parties will be contacted regarding alternative arrangements for all matters scheduled on the court roll for the day.  We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

It’s unclear what caused the electricity outage at the court.

ALSO READ: Johannesburg High Court closed due to water shortage

No water

Last week, the Johannesburg High Court was temporarily closed due to a water shortage.

The outage came as the city faced a severe water crisis, with 28 out of 61 reservoirs and towers at critically low levels or completely without water, affecting several areas.

Tshwane electricity debt

In December last year, the City of Tshwane struck a deal with Eskom to pay off its debt as Mayor Nasiphi Moya and her team tried to turn around the capital’s finances.

Moya announced that the city had made a landmark agreement with Eskom to settle the R6.67 billion historical debt owed to the utility.

“This agreement, formalised as a court order on 26 November, is a significant milestone in our journey to financial recovery and stability.

“The arrangement outlines a structured repayment plan spanning five years, with the first payment of R400 million scheduled for December 2024. Additionally, the city has already paid R425 million in arrears for October 2024. A critical condition of this agreement is the timely payment of current accounts within 30 days of billing,” she said.

Moya said the settlement would end years of costly litigation and redirect the focus to improving service delivery and enhancing revenue collection systems.

Additional reporting by Marizka Coetzer

ALSO READ: Tshwane strikes deal to settle R6.6bn Eskom debt