Metro responds to Eskom’s threat of cutting power to Ekurhuleni

The City of Ekurhuleni assures residents that power would not be disconnected, despite Eskom’s notice of possible disconnection of bulk electricity supply to the municipality over escalating unpaid debt.

The widely circulated public notice, reportedly issued by Eskom, warns the metro about extended power cuts due to over R2.3b unpaid electricity bills.
According to DA Ekurhuleni caucus leader Brandon Pretorius, the published notice indicates that the power utility is currently owed more than R2.3b and will be owed a further R1.5b come March 7.
“Instead of prioritising residents, those who it is mandated to serve and ensuring its outstanding accounts are paid up, this doomsday coalition chose to pay excessive bonuses to the city manager and heads of departments,” said Pretorius.

“Residents have to bear witness to the full-scale collapse engulfing the CoE. They are subjected to the misery of service delivery failures daily, yet the coalition government felt it prudent to further stuff extra cash into the pockets of already highly paid, non-performing officials.

“The city finds itself in a desperate situation and swift intervention is required to arrest this cancer killing our residents,” said Pretorius.

Rest assured
The metro said residents can rest assured that things are not as bad as portrayed by Eskom.
“We confirm that our electricity supply to bulk points will not be interrupted or disconnected,” said metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.

Dlamini pointed out that the city has not received any formal communication from Eskom in relation to the notice circulated by the DA and published in the media.
The metro indicated that it had lodged a dispute on the amount of money the power utility claims to be historical debt.

He said the city has been in communication with Eskom over its disputed bills and payment plans for a current account since the start of the year, and will continue engaging the power utility to resolve this matter and ensure that residents continue to receive uninterrupted essential services.

“We are actively servicing the current electricity bill while working expeditiously to address the current disputed portion.

“Our ongoing dialogue with Eskom demonstrates our focus on protecting the interests of our residents and ensuring a sustainable energy supply for the city.
“The city values transparency and will provide updates as discussions progress, and residents are urged to visit the city’s social media channels for regular service delivery related updates.”

Disputed
Meanwhile, the MMC of Finance in the city, Jongizizwe Dlabathi, told The Citizen that the city owes Eskom R1.6b, which is a current account. The other money Eskom claimed is owed by the city is the balance that is under dispute. He said the city is disputing a certain portion of the amount, which is the invoice amount compared to the electricity received.

Loss of revenue
The MMC previously told the Boksburg Advertiser that consumers owe the municipality a combined debt of over R25b for rates and services.

He said the culture of non-payment among some residents and businesses limits the city’s ability to maintain public infrastructure as well as paying service providers and salaries, impacting the provision of service delivery.
Hence, the city had activated its credit control policy and introduced some measures aimed at recovering debt and heightening the culture of paying for services among residents.
Among other challenges contributing to the city’s revenue loss is the large-scale illegal connections, particularly in the informal settlements, and vandalism of public infrastructure.

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