Durban – The crippling load reduction process imposed on Ulundi Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal, has been indefinitely stopped.
This was after Eskom met officials from the municipality and the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to find a solution.
On Tuesday, the municipality announced it was going to file an urgent court application to force Eskom to stop the reduction that plunged it into darkness on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
LATEST: Eskom has just told @IOL that it has met with officials from the IFP run Ulundi local municipality in northern KZN & provincial COGTA over the contentious issue of load reduction that plunged most parts of the municipality into darkness. A solution is on the cards.
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) December 28, 2022
However, the mooted court action was abandoned and a meeting was held with Eskom.
In a response to IOL about the matter, Eskom said it met the municipality and a solution was on the cards.
It did not specify the solution.
“Eskom has met with the Ulundi Municipality officials as well as representatives from KZN COGTA. Various options were discussed and are currently under review.
“The parties are committed to amicably finding and implementing an urgent solution,” Eskom told IOL on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Ulundi’s municipal manager, Sandile Khomo, confirmed that through the intergovernmental relations framework they had met Eskom and KZN Cogta on Wednesday.
“Eskom explained that the process of load reduction is implemented in all municipalities that are behind in terms of paying their debts.
“It was then agreed that the load reduction, which last happened on Tuesday, should be stopped until further notice,” Khomo said.
He added that even though they are not behind in terms of honouring their debt to Eskom, the bulk supplier of power demanded that they make some payment before January 21, 2023 so that their debt is reduced.
Khomo did not specify the amount of money Eskom demanded be paid before this date.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the South African Local Government Association (Salga) in KwaZulu-Natal, Thami Ntuli, has called on municipalities to challenge Eskom’s unilateral load reduction, saying it indiscriminately harms local economics and households.
Ntuli said the practice of load reduction for municipalities that owe Eskom is a travesty of development.
“‘In Salga’s view, such actions make a mockery of contract law and the Constitution. By law, municipalities are restricted to the reticulation of electricity and so are naturally dependent on Eskom.
“Similarly, households depend on municipalities; if one party in this supply chain does not play their part, the system fails.
“Eskom must not deprive households of their fundamental service rights, especially without following due process.
“Salga calls on all municipalities impacted by Eskom load reduction to immediately take similar actions to Ulundi Local Municipality and approach the courts for relief,” Ntuli said on Thursday.
Other KwaZulu-Natal municipalities hit by load reduction include Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg) in the Midlands and Endumeni (Dundee) in the north of the province.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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