The City of Johannesburg (COJ) recently allocated about R2bn of ratepayers’ monies towards the maintenance of electricity infrastructure. Somehow the bulk of it goes to City Power infrastructure maintenance when most ratepayers are with Eskom but are overlooked in this COJ allocation (unless COJ can prove the allocation is exclusively derived from City Power electricity payments, which is not the case).
Eskom applies illegal strategies like load reduction, which is mainly applied in black areas even though we've learnt white areas also default on payments. Eskom collectively punishes paying and non-paying customers to make up for its failure to meet the country’s electricity demand.
A R6,000 reconnection fee is demanded by Eskom when transformers are damaged. This is selectively applied and the amount is thumb sucked by Eskom. The same doesn’t apply in white areas which also default on payments.
Eskom should be taken to task for abusing its monopoly and breaching its Nersa licensing obligations.
Mpumelelo Mdyogolo
Pimville, Soweto
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LETTER | Eskom has failed and must lose its licence
Power utility applies illegal strategies like load reduction mainly in black areas even though we’ve learnt white areas also default on payments
I would like to address criminal conduct by Eskom towards the people of SA, most of whom are black and poor. Notwithstanding the progressive indigent policy, which provides a limited amount of free electricity to the poor.
Municipalities are constitutionally obliged to provide basic services, regardless of the ability of the user to pay for the services.
Eskom has licensing obligations with the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to provide reliable and uninterrupted electricity to consumers but has breached these obligations repeatedly. If Eskom wasn't a monopoly, Nersawould have long suspended or not renewed its licence.
The City of Johannesburg (COJ) recently allocated about R2bn of ratepayers’ monies towards the maintenance of electricity infrastructure. Somehow the bulk of it goes to City Power infrastructure maintenance when most ratepayers are with Eskom but are overlooked in this COJ allocation (unless COJ can prove the allocation is exclusively derived from City Power electricity payments, which is not the case).
Eskom applies illegal strategies like load reduction, which is mainly applied in black areas even though we've learnt white areas also default on payments. Eskom collectively punishes paying and non-paying customers to make up for its failure to meet the country’s electricity demand.
A R6,000 reconnection fee is demanded by Eskom when transformers are damaged. This is selectively applied and the amount is thumb sucked by Eskom. The same doesn’t apply in white areas which also default on payments.
Eskom should be taken to task for abusing its monopoly and breaching its Nersa licensing obligations.
Mpumelelo Mdyogolo
Pimville, Soweto
• You too can join the discussion. Send your thoughts to letters@timeslive.co.za. Please keep your letters to 350 words or less. Include your name, contact number and where you are writing from. Letters will be edited before publication. While we appreciate your feedback, submissions that don’t adhere to our comment policy will not be considered.