Eskom threat devastating

‘The economic impact of Eskom’s threatened electricity cut-offs at certain hours will be devastating,’ according to a statement by the DA. The DA has   lodged strong formal objections with Eskom. ‘We also requested intervention from the national treasury,’ said David Ross MP, the DA finance spokesperson in Parliament.
‘We wrote to Minister Pravin Gordhan and asked for an urgent meeting with NERSA (the national energy regulator)’. He said the DA also requested SCOPA (the parliamentary oversight body on public accounts) to summon the municipal managers of all delinquent municipalities, including Ngwathe, to appear before it for questioning.
Last year, it was announced that Eskom was planning to take over sales and distribution of electricity in Ngwathe municipality.  ‘The DA has been suggesting this for several years,’ said Arnold Schoonwinkel, the DA caucus spokesperson on municipal finance.
‘Ngwathe has proved itself to be quite incapable of continuing to manage its electricity sales itself.’ He said the solution for “the present disaster” is either for Eskom to do the job, or for it to be contracted out to a private firm.
Last year, Mayor Mochela formed a small committee that includes Schoonwinkel, to negotiate this with Eskom. He told the Gazette the committee has not met for many weeks, ‘although a long meeting has been set for 12 January (today). (More reports on the Eskom crisis on p. 3)