Free State councils are top Eskom debtors
Payment arrangements have been made with the Free State, Mpumalanga and the North West, which owe Eskom nearly R7.5bn between them
Municipalities in the Free State, Mpumalanga and the North West, the so-called premier league provinces, hold the bulk of Eskom debt, owed as a result of non-payment for the provision of electricity. About 42% of Eskom’s revenue comes from municipalities and the power utility told Business Day that no debt write-offs were on the cards. Municipalities in the Free State owe Eskom R4.4bn, those in Mpumalanga R2.3bn, and councils in the North West R843m. In total, municipalities around the country owe the power utility about R10bn. Eskom has come up with a list of the top 20 defaulting municipalities, the majority of which are in the Free State, with Maluti-a-Phofung, Matjhabeng, Ngwathe, Nala, Moqhaka, Dihlabeng and Nketoana among the worst defaulters. Eskom withdrew a notice of scheduled power cut at the 11th hour, which would have affected Buffelsbaai in Knysna from next Monday. Several municipalities in the Eastern Cape were also battling to keep up with their repayment commitments....
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