Senior Eastern Cape Treasury officials are locked in meetings with leaders of Raymond Mhlaba municipality to find an amicable solution to their escalating electricity bill.
The municipality covers Alice‚ Fort Beaufort‚ Bedford‚ Adelaide and other towns and is one of three municipalities in the province that owe Eskom. The power utility‚ threatened to interrupt power to the local authorities from Friday.
Eskom provincial spokesman Zama Mpondwana previously said the interruptions would take place from 6am to 8am and from 5pm to 7.30pm from Mondays to Fridays‚ and from 8.30am to 11am and 3pm to 5.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
The three municipalities owe Eskom more than R125-million. The bills date back to July 2010. In addition to Raymond Mhlaba‚ the other two are Inxuba Yethemba (Cradock and surrounding areas); and Walter Sisulu Municipality (Aliwal North and surrounding areas).
Treasury spokeswoman Nosisa Sogayise said: "(EC Treasury) confirms its attendance as part of the delegation to meet with Eskom as requested by Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality. The Department has an advisory and support responsibility to the municipality‚ hence it will be part of the meeting."
- DispatchLIVE
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