The Tokologo Local Municipality faces 14 hour power interruptions unless an agreement is reached with Eskom.
Fortunately for the Municipality negotiations with Eskom are currently underway and as a result supply interruptions from the power utility have been averted for now.
Scheduled supply interruptions commenced on 21 February 2018 due to the municipality’s failure to honour repayment agreements on its Eskom debt totalling R36 464 659.52 as at 31 January 2018.
The towns of Hertzogville, Boshof, Dealesville and Seretse have subsequently been impacted. While Eskom says it hopes to reach an agreement with the municipality, should no agreement be reached by 9 March 2018, the 14 hour supply interruptions will commence as from 10 March.
“The municipality has been forthcoming and negotiations have commenced in good faith. We hope to reach an acceptable agreement by the end of this week,” says Bibi Bedir, Eskom Senior Manager Customer Service, Free State, in a statement issued on Monday afternoon. Eskom urges all electricity consumers in the affected towns to make sufficient arrangements to limit personal and business loss and to ensure that effective contingency measures are in place to prevent serious injury or loss of life that might result from the scheduled interruptions.
The revised schedule of interruptions to Tokologo are as follows:
Week 2 (28 February – 9 March 2018)
Monday to Friday Saturday and Sunday
06:00 – 09:00 08:30 – 12:00
17:00 – 20:30 15:00 – 19:00
Week 3 (to commence on 10 March if no agreement is reached)
Monday to Friday Saturday and Sunday
06:00 – 20:00 06:00 – 20:00
Notwithstanding the above proposed indicative times for the interruption of electricity supply, Eskom may, upon 15 calendar days’ notice, serve the right to disconnect electricity entirely and indefinitely should the electricity debt situation not improve.
For more information and updates, customers can contact the Eskom Contact Centre on 08600 ESKOM (08600 37566).
Pulane Choane, Bloemfontein Courant
