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Maluti-A-Phofung municipality surrenders power supply to Eskom

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The Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality in Qwaqwa says it has surrendered the supply of electricity to power utility, Eskom.

The municipality owes Eskom in excess of R6.5 billion.

The municipality says it has become difficult to ensure that all substations were secured and that revenue was collected from businesses and residents.

The authority has in recent years struggled to stabilise electricity supply.

Executive Mayor Gilbert Mokotso says they hope the move will reduce power disruptions in the municipal area.

Mokotso says, “We are going to do an active partnership with Eskom, currently we are doing public participation with the community whereby then Eskom will start servicing electricity of Maluti-A-Phofung starting from end of August. We want Eskom to take all the operations of electricity at the municipality. Our staff are going to be seconded to Eskom and Eskom will assist us then in training other staff of us. After sometime maybe then some years is then that they will return back to the municipality when the electricity is stable at Maluti-A-Phofung.”

The power utility has confirmed its working with the embattled Maluti-A-Phofung municipality in Qwaqwa.

Senior Manger for Customer Service in Free State, Bibi Bedir says an attempt to recover the money, the municipality and Eskom have agreed to enter into an active partnering arrangement.

Bedir says the arrangement entails the appointment of Eskom as the service provider in the municipal area of supply.

“Eskom will do a full network maintenance and operation function as well as revenue recovery. We are currently in the process to assist the municipality with public participation and stakeholder engagements. We are hopeful and anticipate that the distribution agency agreement will be signed by the end of August for implementation.”

VIDEO: In 2021, Eskom and Maluti-A-Phofung municipality struck a deal:

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