Central SA
Final negotiation stage between MAP and Eskom nears─── 13:22 Thu, 22 Sep 2022
The Maluti-a-Phofung (MAP) municipality in the Eastern Free State is this Friday 23 September 2022, expected to host a council sitting to resolve its challenges with electricity.
The MAP16 civic movement's head of communications, Mmutlanyana Sekete, says the agenda includes the proposed resolution regarding the electricity crisis.
ALSO READ: Eskom and Harrismith businesses to seal agreement
He explains that the resolution will be instructing the municipality to conclude an agreement with the national power utility, Eskom. He says the process is currently in a draft stage, although it has already been agreed that Eskom will be working as an agency of the municipality.
“Since we owe Eskom more than R6.7 billion, Eskom will be dealing with that debt and will hand over a portion of the collected amount to the municipality after collecting all the revenue. Part of that will be ways of settling the Eskom debt.”
Sekete states that they are quite confident that the agreement will be approved as most residents, who were involved in the public participation process, have shown interest in the proposed resolution, as well as most coalition parties in the municipality.
He further adds that revenue collection from businesses and the community will be done by Eskom and that this will be another way for the municipality to repay Eskom their debt.
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Sekete previously told OFM News that as the new administration, who has only been in power for nine months now, they inherited the Maluti-A-Phofung municipality, which had actually collapsed.
He said they were starting to “get things in place”, hence the major deal is the one between Eskom and the municipality. “This is the main priority,” he said.
Meanwhile, recent protests in the Maluti-A-Phofung municipality have drawn the municipal leaders’ attention to concerns of the public, where they expressed their rage fumed by severe power cuts and poor communication.
ALSO READ: Electricity crisis angers Maluti-a-Phofung residents
The community expressed that the electricity crisis was not only an inconvenience, but also damaged their appliances. They also demanded answers on why certain areas of the municipality seemed to experience load-shedding for longer. Residents want the municipality to be accountable.
