The provincial government will not act against senior administrators at four Eastern Cape municipalities that owe millions for electricity.
The four ailing administrations – Maletswai, Gariep, Ikwezi and Nxuba – owe Eskom a combined R170-million, enough for Eskom to institute mass power cuts in the affected areas over the festive period.
Since last week, there have been scheduled cuts in the affected municipalities for several hours each day.
Cooperative governance MEC Fikile Xasa yesterday said the debt, which had accumulated over years, was a result of “poor management and financial mismanagement”.
He said it was up to those individual councils, and not his department, to decide on what action should be taken against administration bosses on whose watch the debt had been incurred.
Xasa was speaking to the Daily Dispatch just days after the DA called for criminal charges to be instituted against the four municipal managers.
Last week, DA MP and shadow minister of public enterprises Natasha Mazzone called on Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown to ensure Eskom took action and possibly press criminal charges against the municipal managers involved.
“This is unacceptable for many reasons but none more so than because residents have paid their accounts and many have made use of pre-paid meters, yet their municipalities have failed to pay this money over to Eskom and now the users and residents suffer the horrible reality of a powerless festive season,” Mazzone said last week.
“It must now be made known as to where the money that was collected for Eskom payment, has gone and why these bills remain unpaid.”
Xasa said the provincial government was engaging with various stakeholders involved, including the national government and Eskom, in a bid to prevent further power outages.
“Politically the ruling organisation in that particular council can decide on the action to be taken, while administratively, it depends on that council as to what action should be taken against administrators involved in such a mess,” Xasa said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
No govt action against municipal bosses for Eskom debt
The four ailing administrations – Maletswai, Gariep, Ikwezi and Nxuba – owe Eskom a combined R170-million, enough for Eskom to institute mass power cuts in the affected areas over the festive period.
Since last week, there have been scheduled cuts in the affected municipalities for several hours each day.
Cooperative governance MEC Fikile Xasa yesterday said the debt, which had accumulated over years, was a result of “poor management and financial mismanagement”.
He said it was up to those individual councils, and not his department, to decide on what action should be taken against administration bosses on whose watch the debt had been incurred.
Xasa was speaking to the Daily Dispatch just days after the DA called for criminal charges to be instituted against the four municipal managers.
Last week, DA MP and shadow minister of public enterprises Natasha Mazzone called on Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown to ensure Eskom took action and possibly press criminal charges against the municipal managers involved.
“This is unacceptable for many reasons but none more so than because residents have paid their accounts and many have made use of pre-paid meters, yet their municipalities have failed to pay this money over to Eskom and now the users and residents suffer the horrible reality of a powerless festive season,” Mazzone said last week.
“It must now be made known as to where the money that was collected for Eskom payment, has gone and why these bills remain unpaid.”
Xasa said the provincial government was engaging with various stakeholders involved, including the national government and Eskom, in a bid to prevent further power outages.
“Politically the ruling organisation in that particular council can decide on the action to be taken, while administratively, it depends on that council as to what action should be taken against administrators involved in such a mess,” Xasa said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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