POLOKWANE – Concerns have been raised over residents’ electricity supply being disconnected in error.
During a council meeting last Thursday, DA councillor, Frank Haas, told the council that he received a lot of calls in this regard recently.
He said most of the complainants’ electricity had been disconnected on a Friday afternoon, and this caused a lot of problems for them over the weekend as the electricity supply could not be reconnected until Monday. “I was one of those people,” Haas said.
Review also received similar calls last week. One was from another businessman whose electricity at his residence had been incorrectly disconnected.
Another resident, the owner of a daycare centre in Fauna Park where 15 children were being cared for, said he received an SMS to say he had to pay his electricity account within 14 days. He received last Monday, but on Wednesday his power was disconnected. After paying his account the electricity supply was restored six hour later, he said.
He further said when he complained to the municipality, he was told the municipality had “forgotten” to send the SMS earlier.
DA councillor Franco Marx, said the disconnection of electricity incorrectly was illegal, and could make the municipality liable for unnecessary expenses such as legal fees, should there be a dispute.
Referring to the situation in Mankweng, where residents were refusing to pay their overdue municipal accounts, Haas said the city and Seshego could not afford to foot their bill indefinitely.
He questioned why their electricity supply had not been disconnected.
Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng said she would look into the matter. She said outstanding debt has improved and now stood at 52% instead of the previous 85%.
