By Tladi Moloi
After residents spent the better part of the festive season in the dark, Eskom has finally restored power to parts of the Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality in Qwaqwa, Free State.
After being instructed to do so by the Bloemfontein High Court, Eskom restored power on Wednesday.
The communities of Clubview, Mphatlalatsane, Phuthaditjhaba, Super, Naledi Mall, Thaka Bafutsana, Industrial area 1, 2 and 3 had been in the dark since Sunday 18 December 2022.
The power went out after a fault occurred at the Eskom power station near the University of the Free State.
The municipality went to court after talks with Eskom failed with the utility making several demands before attending to the problem.
Eskom demanded the municipality pay overtime for the workers during that period which the municipality agreed to but soon after demanded they pay the outstanding debt, it was revealed in court.
The municipality owes Eskom R7.2 billion, but they only paid R10 million.
Titi Makhetha of the Communication and Stakeholder Relations Management Central East Cluster, confirmed there is still a substantial amount outstanding.
“Eskom requires this money to ensure continuous supply to the substation,” she said.
Even though the power is restored, community members pointed out that they have lost a lot during that time as some had to throw away rotten food.
John Bambisa, from Mphatlalatsane said: “We have electricity again but we have lost a lot. We are fed up with politicians who play games at our expense.”
Thabo Kessah, the communication manager of the municipality, confirmed that the power was restored to the affected areas.
“Power to the affected areas was ultimately restored earlier this afternoon after Eskom picked up the breaker just after 9am on Wednesday morning. We are relieved that affected residents and businesses now have electricity and we truly regret that the courts had to intervene in this matter,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
Pictured above: The Eskom technicians working at the power station next to the University of the Free State Qwaqwa, campus
Image source: Tladi Moloi
