Sakeliga and Eskom in court tomorrow to keep lights on in towns countrywide

19 November 2018

The business organisation Sakeliga and Eskom will see each other in court tomorrow in connection with electricity interruptions in local communities.

With this legal action, Sakeliga intends laying down principles to prevent Eskom from interrupting the electricity supply of paying electricity users of municipalities simply because such municipalities’ accounts are in arrears with Eskom.

In its latest court documents, Sakeliga requests the court to grant an urgent interdict –

Declaring that Eskom’s decision to interrupt electricity supply to Musina is unconstitutional, illegal and invalid;

Putting Eskom’s decision aside;

Declaring that Eskom and the Musina Local Municipality have not fulfilled their obligations to settle the dispute on debt in accordance with the Constitution, the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act (2005), the Local Government: Municipal Financial Management Act (2003) and the Electricity Regulation Act (2006);

Ordering that the respondents work together to solve the problem in accordance with the Local Government: Municipal Financial Management Act, which respondents shall include not only Eskom and the Musina Local Municipality, but also NERSA, the Minister of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Member of the Executive Committee for Local Government in the Limpopo Province, and the Member of the Executive Committee for Finance in the Limpopo Province;

Prohibiting Eskom from using power interruptions to force the Musina Local Municipality to settle its outstanding debt to Eskom.

Click here for Sakeliga’s previous media statement which contains more information about the case.

Click here for Sakeliga’s court documents (heads of argument and affidavit).

Issued by Piet le Roux, CEO, Sakeliga, 19 November 2018