Eskom will begin interrupting the power supply to various municipalities starting from Tuesday as it seeks to recover R13bn owed to it by the municipalities.
Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said some Free State municipalities owed Eskom R6.2bn‚ some in Mpumalanga owed R3bn and in the Northern Cape the total owed was about R1bn.
Phasiwe said power supply to the Nketoana municipality in the Free State‚ which owes Eskom R164m‚ would be cut for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening from Tuesday.
Power supply to Matjhabeng‚ Maluti-a-Phofung and Mantsopa municipalities would be cut off for four hours from next Monday.
Maluti-a-Phofung‚ whose towns include Harrismith‚ Kestel and Phuthaditjhaba‚ owes Eskom a staggering R2.6bn‚ while Matjhabeng‚ whose towns include Welkom and Virginia‚ owes R1.8bn.
Ubuntu local municipality in the Northern Cape‚ which owes R41m to Eskom‚ and Kai Garip (R126m) will also experience power interruptions from March 19.
Phasiwe said the power supply interruptions would be extended for more hours a day if the municipalities did not settle their debt.
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