SEDIBENG.- The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) is exacerbating the financial strain on major industries and businesses through its failure to pay service providers and conclude service agreements with new suppliers on time.

This was recently said by Gerda Senekal, Freedom Front Plus Councillor in the ELM.

Senekal has revealed that Meteronline (MOL), a company responsible for electronically taking electricity consumption readings and automatically transmitting it to the ELM’s billing division, has suspended its services due to non-payment. Senekal added that ELM’s fixed contract with MOL  lapsed in March already and was subsequently continued on a month-to-month basis.

“In September, relations between the parties deteriorated when MOL was not compensated for its services. As a result, the municipality’s billing division had no choice but to issue electricity bills based on consumers’ consumption during the same period last year. The subsequent tariff hike was also added.”

Senekal added that this interim arrangement has residents furious, as their electricity consumption has since changed.

“Many businesses, for example, currently consume much less electricity due to closing over weekends or having scaled back their operations. Although consumers in Emfuleni pay their outstanding electricity bills directly to Eskom, the municipality remains responsible for taking electricity readings.”

Senekal stated that the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) sent an official letter to the Mayor, Sipho Radebe, urging him to ensure that the Municipality concludes a service agreement with an approved supplier soon, otherwise, businesses’ power supply may be disconnected due to erroneous estimated readings.

“Businesses that make a significant economic contribution to Emfuleni cannot afford to pay inflated and incorrect bills. The Freedom Front Plus will keep engaging with the office of the mayor to make sure a new agreement is concluded so the automatic electricity consumption system can resume operation.”

An enquiry about the matter was been sent to the ELM, at the time of going to print it remained unanswered.