Residents to bypass municipality on electricity payments
Residents and companies in Lichtenburg and Coligny have averted power cuts courtesy of a settlement reached on the steps of the North West High Court (Mahikeng), says a Beeld report. The settlement with Eskom will see the companies pay their electricity bills directly to the power utility, bypassing the Ditsobotla municipality.
Eskom had given notice that it planned to cut electricity to the municipality for its failure to stick to a repayment plan for debt amounting to R230m. Co-operative NWK, Agrico, Epkor and two schools approached the High Court for an interdict against Eskom, arguing that paying consumers cannot be prejudiced by the municipality’s failure to pay.
Similar problems are cropping up in other parts of the country, according to a Volksblad report.
It notes that 600 residents of Douglas in the Northern Cape marched to the offices of the Siyuncuma municipality after Eskom gave notice of power cuts there. In a letter of demand, the group warned that an application to scrap the municipality’s electricity distribution licence would be launched should the municipality fail to reach an agreement with Eskom.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
