Next stop Nersa as AfriForum seeks to keep lights on in small towns
AfriForum says the unstable economies of some rural towns are at risk of being further impoverished because of a High Court ruling allowing Eskom to cut their power supply. "Municipalities will generate less income because businesses will privatise their power supply or move to metropolises. At the end of the day‚ the man on the street‚ not the businesses‚ (is) thrown to the wolves‚" AfriBusiness spokesperson Stefan Pieterse said on Tuesday. The High Court in Pretoria last week dismissed with costs AfriForum’s application to prevent Eskom from cutting off municipalities’ power supply. But the utility agreed in court to delay until January 16 the blackouts planned for seven Free State and three North West municipalities that owe about R700m‚ to give them time to pay their arrears. Its original plan was to halt power in the municipalities in question from 6am to 8am and 5pm to 7.30pm‚ Monday to Friday; and from 8.30am to 11am and 3pm to 5.30pm on weekends. The court ruling was welcome...
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