Leanne Nel -

Klerksdorp - Residents of Klerksdorp in the North West claim to be receiving extraordinarily high electricity accounts since the announcement that the City of Matlosana owes Eskom some R90 million in outstanding fees. Mauritz Du Plessis says yesterday, municipal officials pounced on Ratua, a block of flats in Adamyview in Klerksdorp, an began ripping the prepaid electricity meters out of the walls, saying they had become redundant and thus leaving tenants in the dark. He says the owner of the block of flats was also fined R45 000. Du Plessis says his own electricity bill was five times higher than normal this month, and that the municipality gave residents three days within which to pay, or their electricity will be cut:

City of Matlosana executive mayor, Mike Khauoe has admitted to owing Eskom millions but was adamant that electricity would not be cut, saying the municipality reached an arrangement with the parastatal to settle the debt over an agreed period. This after Eskom placed an advert in the local newspaper - the Klerksdorp Record - on Thursday which stated that it would cut off electricity if the outstanding amount was not paid by 14 March. The municipality also owes the Midvaal water supplier R50 million. Khauoe says they are in talks with both Eskom and Midvaal:

The municipality could not yet be reached for comment.