Centlec secured a court victory after TMFT failed to settle its outstanding electricity account. The trust had filed an urgent court application on 16 January 2024 seeking to interdict Centlec from cutting the mall’s electricity supply due to nonpayment.

However, Judge Soma Naidoo dismissed the main application and ordered the applicant to pay Centlec’s legal costs. These include the costs of counsel on Scale B, as well as costs incurred on 25 January 2024, and 5 and 6 February last year. 

The rule nisi in the interlocutory application was also discharged and dismissed with costs.

Marketing consultant Meryl Henning previously told OFM News the matter forms part of an ongoing process being managed through the appropriate channels. Some of the details in the public domain do not fully reflect the broader context, she said.

Centlec confirmed it’s conducting wide-ranging audits and infrastructure verification across its supply area, particularly within the Mangaung metro.

Legal action

“This initiative aims to improve revenue collection, curb electricity theft, and ensure the sustainability of electricity services. This process affects all Centlec customers, both in private and public sectors,” said spokesperson Tsheliso Leba.

“We can confirm that some of the defaulting customers are housed in privately owned properties, some are big businesses, while others are shopping centres within Mangaung.”

Centlec has taken legal action against some of the defaulters to recover more than R150m in debt, Leba said. “Following the (court rulings) in our favour, Centlec is in a better position to enforce its debt collection against some of these companies.”

The move was not targeted at any specific entity, he said, but “a continued effort to recover revenue and to ensure proper maintenance of our network infrastructure and physical verification of our infrastructure.”

Credit control processes were implemented monthly in line with Centlec’s approved credit control and debt collection policy.

The mall remains fully operational with power supplied by generators, said Henning on Tuesday. Around 99% of stores continue to trade as normal.

No court order granted

“There has been no disruption to trading activities, and the safety and comfort of tenants and shoppers remain a priority. We further wish to clarify that there is an ongoing legal dispute between the parties, which has not yet been heard by the court.

“Importantly, no court order has been granted in respect of any amount.”

The property owners are actively attending to the matter through the appropriate legal channels and are awaiting feedback from Centlec, she said. “We remain confident that the outstanding issues will be resolved and appreciate the continued support of our tenants, shoppers and the broader community.”

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi mvh