Municipalities around the country owe Eskom more than R1.4 billion in overdue electricity bills, according to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Lechesa Tsenoli.<\/p>\n
“As at August 31 [this year], 90 municipalities were in arrears for 60 days, and 52 municipalities were in arrears for 90 days,” he said in written reply to a parliamentary question.<\/p>\n
The total amount outstanding for 60 days was R470.8 million; for 90 days, R362.7m; and, for more than 90 days, R570m.<\/p>\n
A task team was dealing with the problem, Tsenoli said.<\/p>\n
The Democratic Alliance on Monday noted that the highest debt had been accumulated by municipalities in Mpumalanga (R485m), the Free State (R466m), and Gauteng (R162m).<\/p>\n
“The DA will write to… [Finance Minister] Pravin Gordhan requesting that National Treasury mediate between Eskom and the offending municipalities,” DA MP Jacques Smalle said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Last week, Eskom had announced its first energy supply emergency since 2008, and published a load-shedding schedule as a “precautionary measure”, an indication of the severity of South Africa’s electricity crisis.<\/p>\n
“With 40 percent of Eskom’s electricity sold to municipalities these local government structures must take all steps to prevent a further exacerbation of South Africa’s power crisis,” he said.<\/p>\n
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