The Rustenburg municipality in North West has paid the money due to Eskom, the municipality said on Thursday.
This was after Eskom published a notice that it intended to cut bulk electricity supply to the Rustenburg municipality in July due to non-payment of more than R144 million.
“The Rustenburg local municipality is currently indebted to Eskom in the amount of R144,939,35.26. Part of this debt has been outstanding and in escalation since August 2018,” the notice read in part.
Eskom said in the notice it intended to cut electricity between 6am and 8am as well as between 5pm and 7.30pm from 30 July to August it said.
From 6 to 12 August, there will be no electricity between 6am and 9am, as well as between 5pm and 8.30pm, while from 13 August onwards there will be no electricity in the platinum rich city between 6am and 8pm.
“The Rustenburg local municipality disputes the correctness of Eskom’s notice and particularly the statement that the Rustenburg local municipality ‘is currently indebted to Eskom’ in the stated amount. It is the Rustenburg local municipality’s position that it has paid the amounts that are due to Eskom.
“Eskom is well aware of the dispute relating to the stated amount. In an attempt to resolve this dispute as cost effectively as possible the municipality has been following appropriate channels in engaging with Eskom and other role players … ,” spokesperson Andrew Seome said in a statement.
“We would like to assure the community of Rustenburg that the municipality merits are sound and that we are doing all that is necessary to bring this matter to finality. There is therefore no need for the Rustenburg consumers to panic.”
The municipality said Eskom’s published notice was most unfortunate, unwarranted and that it sought to use the threat of interruption of electricity supply as a means to force payment of the disputed amount.
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