Eskom notifies Masilonyana on suspension of bulk electricity supply

20 February 2018

Eskom has published a notice that it will suspend bulk electricity supply to the Masilonyana Local Municipality from Wednesday, 28 February 2018, due to outstanding debt of R48.5 million.

Last year, the Free State MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, Sisi Ntombela, placed the Masilonyana Local Municipality under a Section 139 (1)(b) and appointed an administrator to turn the municipality around, specifically with regards to improving financial management and service delivery.

As such, I will request my colleague in the Free State Legislature, James Letuka (MPL), to write to MEC Ntombela, to request her to ensure that the municipality makes immediate payment to Eskom in order to avoid the suspension of bulk electricity supply.

Eskom’s recent notice is a lot harsher than previous notices. In the first week, bulk electricity will be suspended for four and a half hours every weekday and five hours on Saturdays and Sundays. From the second week, electricity supply will be suspended for six and half hours on weekdays and seven hours on weekend days, while in the third week electricity supply will be suspended from 6am to 8pm every day until payment is made.

Should Eskom proceed with this kind of interruption, it will bring the municipality to a complete halt, negatively affecting socio-economic activities. It will adversely impact on the quality of life of the people of Masilonyana, especially the elderly, the ill and the young. It will also result in further economic decline and job losses.

Everything must be done to avoid such a disastrous situation.

The DA maintains that the ANC is unable to correct the problems they have created while in government. Clearly the provincial government’s intervention is not bearing fruit, and once again it is the people of Masilonyana that will suffer.

The people of Masilonyana deserve a government that is honest, transparent and effective in the delivery of quality basic services. It is time for a new beginning in the Free State, in 2019 the people of Masilonyana will have an opportunity to reject the poor governance of the ANC and vote DA.

Issued by Marieta Visser, DA PR Councillor and EXCO Member: Masilonyana Municipality, 20 February 2018