Emalahleni Local Municipality was one of 10 red-in-the-face municipalities who had to explain why their Eskom bills got out of hand.
They were in the hot seat before the Standing Committee of Public Accounts (Scopa) on June 13.
In only five years the Eskom debt escalated from R58-million to R1.7-billion
The local municipality was represented by acting municipal manager, Mr Sizwe Mr Mayisela and the Executive Mayor, Cllr Linah Malatjie.
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Mayisela blamed poverty, the closure of industries and job losses and a culture of non-payment for the situation the municipality finds itself in.
Cllr Malatjie disputed the R1.7-billion Eskom bill and the waiving of interest charges and agreements on flexible payment plans to ensure the debts are settled.
“Scopa also wants to emphasise that municipalities must honour their debt and their payment arrangements. The fact that both parliament and government are intervening does not mean that they should relax. Municipalities should also jerk up their financial management processes and systems and cut off waste of public money,” Mr Themba Godi, chairperson of Scopa said.
Read more in WITBANK NEWS on Friday, June 22.
