Eskom switch-off looms

NAMED: EKURHULENI IS THE ONLY METRO ON THE ARREARS DEBT LIST

- Antoinette Slabbert

OPTIONS. Eskom has exhausted the intergovernmental process that courts have held should be exhausted prior to disconnection. Picture: Bloomberg

(Bloomberg)

When Eskom announced on 5 March that it will proceed with steps towards credit control measures that may leave residents of 14 municipalities in the dark, it did not disclose the names of the affected councils.

Moneyweb reported on Friday that the Ekurhuleni metro on the Gauteng East Rand, which supplies electricity to OR Tambo International Airport, is among the 14.

We can now disclose the full list of names, as provided by Eskom.

The announcement came as municipal arrears debt to Eskom exceeded R110 billion, posing an existential threat to the utility.

Eskom has exhausted the intergovernmental process that courts have held should be exhausted prior to disconnections.

The municipalities further failed to comply with the conditions of a debt relief programme initiated by the the National Treasury in 2023, which could have seen their arrear debt to Eskom written off over three years.

One of the conditions was that they must pay their current Eskom bills on time and in full.

Eskom is now inviting stakeholders in these municipalities to submit comments on the matter.