32 days to go, no progress with Eskom debt

HIGHVELD – Regardless of Govan Mbeki Municipality’s attempt to get a private company to pay the nearly R400-m that it owes to Eskom, there has been no further progress and the electricity crisis looms ever greater.

With less than 32 days left until Eskom will begin implementing power interruptions, the municipality has still not reached a deal with the electricity giant.

The municipality was contacted for comment, and although comment was received on certain matters, many questions remained unanswered.

One such unanswered question, is whether the municipality has made Eskom an offer of repayment.

Furthermore, the municipality has been refusing to confirm which businesses and government institutions owe money on their utility accounts.

The Ridge Times was referred to a the Section 71 report, detailing financial matters as they were at the end of the previous financial year.

This report does not however contain any information about specific debtors.

When questioned about the previous repayment deal the municipality had entered into with Eskom in 2016, the municipality emphatically stated this agreement was still in place.

However, upon further investigation, Eskom’s spokesman, Mr Khulu Phasiwe, confirmed the 2016 agreement is no longer in force as the municipality did not stick to the terms of this agreement.

“We are not irrational, only after careful consideration did we decide to put Govan Mbeki Municipality back on the non-compliance list.

“Though we had an agreement with them, they did not adhere to the terms of that agreement and did not pay the agreed upon monthly fee which amounts to a breach of the agreement and shows there was no commitment from their side to this deal.”

With regard to questions about illegal connections, electricity theft and the implementation of so called “smart meters”, the municipality only responded after being prompted a second time.

When asked why these meters were only being installed in certain residential areas instead of the areas where illegal connections are a problem, the municipality responded by saying that phase one of the smart meter installations were targeted at large power users and most of them have been installed in Trichardt and Bethal, but that there are plans to roll out these meters throughout the entire municipality.

There seems to be no end in sight for disgruntled residents, and with the municipality apparently grasping at straws to settle their debt, the future of Govan Mbeki Municipality looks dark,