TULANI NGWENYA
EMAKHAZENI – Emakhazeni Local Municipality has settled its R288 202 874.00 Eskom debt. The payment was made from 3 August 2016 to 31 March 2021.
This settlement comes after a watershed judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) dealt a hefty blow to Eskom’s plans to collect from non-paying customers in finding that the utility’s decision to interrupt power supply to two defaulting municipalities like Emakhazeni was irrational.
In a statement, Emakhazeni municipality’s Executive Mayor, CLLR Thomas Diphepheng Ngwenya pointed out that, the municipality’s maintenance of all infrastructure including replacing conventional electricity meters into prepaid and billing of mines and farms for property rates retrospectively from the date the Property Rates Act was implemented, this enabled the municipality to clear its debt.
Dhladhla Ntshwane a Belfast resident spoke to Timeless News expressing his joy saying that, “I am happy that the municipality is starting to show initiative by doing what it promised the people to do. We are still experiencing periodic load shedding despite the debt clearance. It is good news however we should not loose sight of the ball because there is still more to be done within our communities”
The Municipality’s Introducing of electricity cut off for nonpayment of current accounts, establishment of Budget Steering Committee and enforcement of Credit Control Policy and By Law also aided Emakhazeni municipality in settling its R288 202 874.00 Eskom debt.
This development also comes in the wake of internal funding and in house capacity being used to construct road infrastructure by the municipality.
Emakhazeni municipality is now better place than ever to increase its internal budget for Capital infrastructure development projects such as road maintenance and replacement of aging water infrastructure amongst others.
Executive Mayor, CLLR Thomas Diphepheng Ngwenya has also announced that the municipality has received R8 million as the best performing municipality with 88% pass rate in the grade 12 class of 2020 and becoming number one in the province.
Other municipalities in the province are still battling to pay, let alone settle their Eskom debts. The settling of Emakhazeni Local Municipality’s debt is a great step towards better service delivery.
