Sparks fly as businessman gets ready for urgent court interdict

Mr Kobus Pieters, owner of the abattoir said he will not stand idle and let the bulk electricity interruption influence his business.
“I am ready for an urgent court interdict should the electricity interruption take place,” Pieters said.
In a letter from his lawyers, Pieters said the abattoir cannot conduct the slaughtering of animals and cooling or freezing of meat without water and electricity.

“You are hereby reminded of your constitutional obligations to see to service delivery to residents and businesses within your area of jurisdiction and in addition you are reminded of your contractual obligations to those residents and businesses who are paying for those services, in particular those who have prepaid for their electricity,” is an extract from the letter.

Pieters obtained a court order in the High Court during 2010, compelling the municipality to always make sure they supply water to the abattoir even when there is a water interruption.
The municipality said they are continuing with the implementation of a six prolonged strategy to normalise electricity utilisation and payments. According to them negotiations with the government sector regarding the outstanding debt is finalised whilst cut offs of businesses in arrears are on track.

“The municipality however does face some challenges in that structurally there are extreme problems in our system and more than half of our electricity demand which are not being recovered from users, and our processes to rectify some are met by resistance from individuals and is of no negligence by the municipality,” Mr Theo van Vuuren, Acting Municipal Manager wrote.

Van Vuuren said the municipality is aware of the fact that the abattoir cannot conduct the slaughtering of animals and cooling or freezing of meat without the uninterrupted supply of water and electricity. However in the same breath they said according to the municipality’s electricity bylaws the municipality shall not be liable to any loss or damage, direct or consequentially suffered by a consumer as a result of an interruption or discontinuation of the supply of electricity.

Eskom wants to flick the switch from June 5 between 06:00 and 10:00 and 17:00 and 21:00 on Mondays through to Fridays. Consumers will have to make do without electricity between 07:00 and 10:00 and 17:00 and 20:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

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