The Makhanda division of the Eastern Cape high court (formerly Grahamstown) ordered the Inxuba Yethemba municipality to pay Eskom R127-million. As a result of the debt, the power utility was only allowing a limited supply of electricity to the municipal...
When the business community in Cradock, in the Eastern Cape, could no longer tolerate the constant power outages that crippled the town’s economy they collected money to institute court action against the municipality.
It also ordered that the Inxuba Yethemba municipality’s “financial statements disclose, on a monthly basis, revenue received in respect of the supply of electricity and the extent to which such revenue is appropriated for the payment of its current account with Eskom and its obligation … to effect payment for arrears”.
Despite the court action, says Featherstonehaugh, nothing has changed in the town renowned for being the home of one of the leading civic organisations fighting against apartheid in the 1980s, the Cradock Civic Association., were abducted and killed by an apartheid death squad in 1985. As a result, at his own cost, he has had to install a solar power panel to power his geyser and special rechargeable bulbs to keep the lights on during outages. Restaurants spend a fortune on fuel for generators to keep their businesses going.
Lekwa, which includes the town of Standerton, has virtually collapsed. It is plagued by constant power outages resulting from a rotational system. It owes Eskom R1.3-billion. The Astral case, brought in April, is the latest in a series of litigation against the government and its entities to intervene in the failure by municipalities to provide proper services.
It cited contributing factors to the poor state of municipalities, such as “political in-fighting to political mismanagement”.
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