Municipality cuts power of school in eMbalenhle over government department’s arrears
The outage had affected school administration, as computers, printers and other essential equipment could not function.
The management of Allan Makhunga Primary School said it cannot carry out basic administrative duties after the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) cut the electricity supply over money allegedly owed by the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works.
According to school governing body (SGB) chairperson Jabu Makhubela, the electricity was disconnected on January 6, a day before schools reopened.
Makhubela said staff were preparing for the reopening when municipal officials arrived and disconnected the power without prior engagement.
“When we went to the municipality to ask why our electricity was cut when schools were about to reopen, staff told us that the Department of Public Works owes the municipality rates and taxes amounting to about R1m.
“We were told the electricity was cut to force the department to pay,” said Makhubela.
He said upon further enquiry, the school discovered that its GMM account reflected an outstanding amount of R32 000.
The school subsequently paid R20 000 and now has a balance of R12 000.
“Why does the municipality not engage directly with the department and demand payment instead of disrupting teaching and learning?
“As a school, we have always tried to meet our obligations. Why should innocent learners and school management carry the burden of another department’s debt?” he asked.
Makhubela said the outage had affected school administration, as computers, printers and other essential equipment could not function.
“What is more shocking is that the GMM delivered a rates and taxes statement addressed to the Department of Public Works director to our school. This clearly shows confusion about who is responsible,” said Makhubela.
He added that Allan Makhunga Primary appeared to be the only school affected by the dispute, while neighbouring schools operated normally.
“It seems as if our school is being treated as if it were the said department. Other schools are not experiencing this problem, which raises concerns about unfair treatment,” said Makhubela.
He warned that the situation had created security risks, as food from the school feeding scheme was stolen during the outage. Some perishables decomposed due to unpowered refrigerators, raising fears of possible food poisoning.
Makhubela further said the Department of Education has instructed the school to begin teaching mathematics in vernacular languages, which requires printing about 70 pages of translated material per learner.
“How are we expected to do this without electricity?” he asked.
He said many daily school activities depend on electricity, including the electronic school bell. As a result, the school has been forced to revert to manual methods, with someone physically ringing the bell in the mornings, between periods and after school.
“Our school urgently needs intervention. Teaching and learning are negatively affected, and learners are suffering because of a dispute between the municipality and a government department,” Makhubela said.
Donald Green, the GMM media liaison and content developer, said the municipality is informing residents, business owners, government departments and consumers that credit control operations are active and mandatory for all account holders.
“The municipality is faced with critical payment obligations to bulk suppliers, including Eskom and Rand Water. To ensure the continued provision of basic services and to avoid bulk supply reductions, the municipality must collect all outstanding revenue from consumers,” said Green.
Green highlighted key measures in effect:
• Disconnections: Services for accounts in arrears will be disconnected without further notice if payments are not made within seven days of the billing date;
• Meter blocking: The GMM has begun blocking electricity meters for non-paying residents and businesses to enforce payment;
• Targeted entities: This policy applies to all sectors, including households, private businesses and government departments.
Relief available:
Consumers in arrears are urged to apply for the Debt Incentive Scheme, valid until June 30, which offers up to a 50% write-off for residential and 30% for business consumers. Green said the school management could visit the GMM offices to argue their case for help.
