Local News
Court rules Eskom may cut power to defaulting municipalities─── 05:09 Fri, 26 May 2017
Pretoria - The Pretoria High Court has confirmed that Eskom has the right to interrupt the electricity supply of defaulting municipalities, by dismissing applications brought by AfriForum and other businesses.
Astral, Bridgestone, AfriForum and Mediclinic had sought to prevent Eskom from instituting scheduled interruptions in the Madibeng, Kamiesberg and Lekwa municipalities in North West, the Northern Cape Mpumalanga respectively, in order to recover overdue debt.
The applicants had argued that Eskom’s conduct is unconstitutional, unlawful and unreasonable and should be reviewed and set aside.
The court agreed with all the arguments presented by Eskom, that they are legally allowed to disconnect defaulting customers, which includes municipalities.
The electricity utility has released a statement, saying this victory is a critical step in the sustainability of Eskom given the levels of indebtedness within the municipal sphere.
OFM News
