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Battle continues between contractor and Eskom in Limpopo

Eskom power station
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A multi-million rand project to electrify thousands of households in the Fetakgomo-Tubatse municipality in Burgersfort, Limpopo, remains a dream as a legal battle between the contractor and Eskom continues.

Mphaphuli Consulting will apply for an urgent interdict in the High Court in Polokwane to stop the municipality from appointing Eskom to complete the electrification of more than 20 villages outside Burgersfort on Tuesday.

The R240 million project – Operation Mabone – was stopped two years due to running court battles.

Some residents have expressed concerns about the delays.

“We’ve got a huge backlog of electricity maybe I can say 30 percent of the municipality is not having electricity. It was good idea but the purpose was never achieved, it’s because the municipality as the big elephant and the service provider as the big elephant. They’re fighting, it’s the grass that’s getting hurt.”

The contractor had been given a three year contract to electrify 28 villages in 2014.

Municipal spokesperson Kubane Tolo says they’ll oppose the interdict.

“We’re going to oppose that he has put in front of us whereby Eskom has to come and finish that project on the basis that the project still belongs to him we’ve got 13 thousand households that should’ve been electrified. Unfortunately when the contractor left the site he only finished around over four thousand households. As a municipality we try to appoint Eskom to come and finish the project that he was supposed to have finished then, plus or minus two years ago.”

 

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