The FF Plus warned the Ekurhuleni Metro Council’s Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Nkululeko Dunga, to settle the Metro’s dispute with Eskom about outstanding debt to prevent service delivery problems.
The Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, recently mentioned during his Energy Summit in Sandton that Ekurhuleni’s Eskom debt amounts to R2,9 billion.
Ekurhuleni denies this, stating that the amount is made up of interest charged by Eskom because the Metro settles its account every 30, and not every 15, days..
Dunga did admit that the Metro and Eskom are involved in a dispute, but maintains that the Metro does not owe Eskom anything.
The FF Plus warned Dunga to settle the dispute as soon as possible before Eskom approaches the High Court and obtains an attachment order against the Metro.
This type of attachment order usually involves freezing current bank accounts and even seizing municipal vehicles, which could have a negative impact on service delivery.
The FF Plus also suggested that the Metro should approach Eskom and apply for a debt-management plan concerning the outstanding amount, much like those offered to municipalities by the National Treasury.
But according to its Financial Department, this is not necessary because the Metro is not in arrears.
The FF Plus will continue to apply pressure to find out why the Metro reportedly owes Eskom R2,9 billion, and to ensure that service delivery to residents is not affected.
