EXCLUSIVE ONLINE: Astral flexes its muscles (complete article)
We have welcomed the overwhelming support from the Standerton/Lekwa business community
Astral Foods Limited (Astral), a leading Southern African integrated poultry producer, has been engaged in various negotiations and is in the process of legal action to ensure that the power supply to its Goldi and Meadow Feeds operations in Standerton is not interrupted.
Eskom threatened to interrupt the supply of electricity to non-paying municipalities in mid-January if debt-ridden municipalities do not reach a repayment agreement with Eskom.
The North Gauteng High Court was inundated with interdict applications against Eskom by various manufacturing companies seeking to prohibit them following through with their stated intent to cut power.
Following a meeting with the Deputy Judge President of the North Gauteng High Court involving among others the legal representatives of Astral on 18 January, Eskom agreed to postpone its power cuts to the Lekwa Municipality until 28 February, pending court proceedings on 21 and 22 February.
Astral has met with representatives of the local municipality, provincial government and other affected parties in an effort to resolve the approaching crisis.
“We have welcomed the overwhelming support from the Standerton/Lekwa business community and in excess of 40 businesses have supplied Astral with supporting affidavits to assist us with our case against Eskom to find a solution to this electricity supply predicament,” Mr Chris Schutte, CEO of Astral, said.
“In Eskom’s answering affidavit filed on 2 February, Eskom agrees that Astral and COFCO Agri collectively represent 60% of Lekwa’s electricity customers.”
Mr Schutte emphasised that if Eskom insists on penalising the paid-up consumers of electricity, the community, businesses and workers must stand together and present a collective case to reinforce the importance of manufacturing companies to the local economy and the absolute requirement for uninterrupted power supply, particularly in livestock producing businesses.
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