Eskom has suspended its Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) notice of potential power interruption against the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and City Power (CP) issued last month.
Image: Photo: Supplied/City Power
Eskom says its suspending its notice of potential power interruptions to the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and City Power (CP).
Last month, the power utility announced power interruptions due to the entities' debts. IOL reported that according to Eskom, CoJ had an outstanding debt of R4.9 billion.
Eskom said despite its efforts to accommodate the CoJ, it could no longer afford to accommodate the entity without harming its own business.
"As of September 2024, unpaid municipal bills to Eskom total R90bn, largely impacting Eskom’s operating costs," Eskom said.
Eskom's Daphne Mokwena on Monday explained that its decision allowed time for an independent investigation into alleged historical overbilling of R3.4bn, facilitated by the Minister of Electricity and Energy.
"Following a meeting on November 11, an agreement was reached to appoint an expert to resolve the dispute.
The report, initially due on November 25, now has a December 6 deadline," Mokwena said. She added that the CoJ and CP have only paid R1.3bn to avoid interruptions, and not the R1.4bn invoice for September 2024.
"The October 2024 invoice of R1.3bn, due on November 29, remains unpaid. CoJ and CP have committed to additional payments by December 6. Eskom will review the findings of the independent investigation and provide updates as developments occur," Mokwena said.
IOL