Eskom's plan to use power cuts as a punitive measure for numerous municipalities countrywide that are not honouring their payment agreements is arbitrary and unreasonable with regard to paying residents and businesses.
The municipalities that will be affected include, among others: Emfuleni (Vereeniging, Vanderbijl Park and Sebokeng), Dr Beyers Naude (Aberdeen, Willomore, Jansenville and Steytlerville), InXuba Yethemba (Cradock and Middelburg), Siyathemba (Copperton, Marydale, Niekerkshoop and Prieska), Emthanjeni (Britstown, Burgerville, De Aar, Griesenkraal and Hanover) and Masilonyana (Theunissen, Verkeerdevlei, Brandfort and Winburg).
The Tokologo Local Municipality that serves Boshoff, Dealesville and Hertzogville will suffer the most as the planned measures mean that its electricity supply will be cut off from 06:00 to 20:00 every day as from the 9th of October, should the Municipality not honour its fixed payment agreement.
If Dihlabeng Local Municipality (Bethlehem, Paul Roux, Rosendal, Fouriesburg and Clarens) does not honour its payment agreement by the 30th of October, the same measures as for Tokologo will be implemented.
Rural municipalities are in a serious financial crisis due to urbanisation and the impoverishment of the rural population. The measures that Eskom wants to implement due to the municipalities' mismanagement will only damage the economy even further. It will result in a vicious cycle.
Non-payment is never acceptable and yet as things stand at present, municipalities are financially unsustainable. The merging of smaller municipalities with larger rural municipalities only served to increase the debt load as well as the demand for service delivery.
On top of that, poor management, cadre deployment and an utter lack of skills due to Affirmative Action (AA) only worsened the problem. Municipalities must be divided into smaller, more manageable units with expert and experienced staff.
The FF Plus has asked the Minister of Local Government to urgently intervene in the matter of non-payment by Tokologo and other municipalities.
The FF Plus also demands that the Minister of Finance's adjustment budget, which will be tabled in Parliament on the 24th of October, must be aimed at bringing an end to municipalities' historical debt.
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