KAROO NEWS - The lights are back on in Willowmore, Steytlerville and Jansenville, where Eskom implemented bulk power cuts on 23 October due to a debt of over R127-million owed to Eskom by the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality (DBNLM).
According to Zama Mpondwana, Spokesperson for Eskom in the Eastern Cape, Eskom suspended the interruptions, which left the towns with power cuts of nearly seven hours a day for almost a week, after a ruling by the Eastern Cape High Court on Thursday 29 October.
The municipality filed an interdict on 26 October for the interruptions to be discontinued.
The court ordered that Eskom restore electricity to the towns, subject to unplanned outages, maintenance and load shedding. The court further ordered that the municipality pay the current outstanding account of R8 522 638.87 by 30 November 2020. The application filed by the municipality was postponed to 14 December.
"We can also confirm that some payment was received from the municipality this week and negotiations are continuing," Mpondwana told the Advertiser. He reiterated that Eskom implemented the power interruptions as a last resort
"[We] are acutely aware of the municipality's financial obligation and are not disputing payment to Eskom, as their service is being utilized," said Mayor Deon de Vos in a statement. "The Municipality is committed to continue making payments to Eskom, however, wants disputes raised to be addressed and finalised."
In his statement, De Vos also highlighted debts owed to the municipality by residents per town, for electricity, water, and other service deliveries. The total debts for Willowmore by 30 September, according to De Vos, was R6 396 270.33, and R1 104 552.08 for Willowmore farms. Jansenville owes R16 922 049.22, and Jansenville farms have a debt of R2 548 733.29. Steytlerville owes R9 617 901.03 and Steytlerville farms owe R1 377 760.07.
According to De Vos, Graaff-Reinet has a debt of R48 792 832.87, the largest in the municipal district. De Vos said these figures are not given to pass responsibility to community members, but rather to give communities a broader picture of what the municipality is faced with.
Michelle Erasmus, Chairperson of the Graaff-Reinet Ratepayers' and Residents' Association, told the Advertiser that the section 71 reports, which show municipal income and expenditure, indicate that payments to Eskom in 2019 were made sporadically, with no payments made to Eskom in August or November, although it is estimated that zero payment meant that that month's payment was late and fell into the next month.
This year, no payments were made in January, March, April, or May, and the payments made by the municipality were far from what Eskom charged. In June 2020, for example, R8 738 082 was charged, but only R1-million was paid by DBNLM.
Erasmus said that money received by the municipality for electricity must be paid to Eskom. She and her committee strongly feel that payments to Eskom should be ring-fenced, to prevent further financial issues.
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