South Africa
Crippling power cuts in North West Municipality─── 09:11 Thu, 19 Dec 2019
Eskom has disconnected the defaulting Naledi Local Municipality in the North West for several hours a day, resulting in crippling consequences.
The municipality owes R290-million and has only repaid R5-million of the accrued debt.
Since 5 December, Eskom has cut the municipality's electricity every day for close to seven hours.
Residents say the municipality is failing them while Eskom's holding them to ransom.
The municipality is reportedly bankrupt, with the provincial government unlikely to bail it out.
Eskom is giving some respite to residents from the power cuts over the festive season, but the prospect of a dark 2020 for the towns of Vryburg and Stella looms large.
