{"id":93034,"date":"2024-11-08T20:04:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T18:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=93034"},"modified":"2024-11-08T20:04:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T18:04:12","slug":"eskom-threatens-to-disrupt-joburgs-power-supply-over-r4-9-billion-debt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/eskom-threatens-to-disrupt-joburgs-power-supply-over-r4-9-billion-debt\/","title":{"rendered":"Eskom Threatens to Disrupt Joburg\u2019s Power Supply Over R4.9 billion Debt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

3-minute read
\n08 November 2024 | 18:50 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

Eskom warns of December power cuts after City of Johannesburg R4.9bn debt stalemate.(Vehicles travel along a darkened street during a power outage in central Johannesburg – Daily Maverick)<\/p><\/div>\n

In a recent public notice, Eskom has threatened to cut off electricity to Johannesburg due to the city\u2019s staggering R4.9 billion debt. This sum excludes an additional R1.4 billion, which will be payable by the end of November, adding to Johannesburg\u2019s existing R90 billion debt, one of the highest in South Africa.<\/p>\n

The City of Johannesburg and City Power have described Eskom\u2019s move as \u201cunjust, counterproductive, and potentially harmful\u201d to residents and businesses. In an interview with Radio Islam International<\/a> Councillor Zark Lebatlang expressed shock at Eskom\u2019s announcement, emphasizing the severe repercussions of electricity disruptions on the city\u2019s economy. \u201cWe immediately engaged with officials from the Department of Finance and the city manager to understand the situation,\u201d he said, pointing to possible disastrous consequences for residents and businesses.<\/p>\n

Lebatlang revealed that there is ongoing litigation between the city and Eskom, involving disputes over billing and alleged overcharging by Eskom. \u201cOur position is that Eskom and City Power need to find common ground to resolve the billing and debt issues,\u201d he explained, cautioning that public notices of power cuts could worsen the situation.<\/p>\n

Adding to the city\u2019s financial woes, Eskom cited the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) as grounds for its intervention, aiming to ensure accountability from Johannesburg for its mounting debt. However, Lebatlang criticized the approach, calling it a \u201creckless move\u201d that overlooks ongoing negotiations. \u201cBoth parties need to sit down, address the overbilling concerns, and clarify the actual debt owed,\u201d he asserted, urging for an urgent meeting to prevent the power cuts.<\/p>\n

The Minister of Electricity has since engaged with the executive mayor, hoping to mediate a solution that avoids drastic disruptions. \u201cFor over 200 days, Johannesburg has been free from load shedding, which has brought much-needed relief to businesses and residents. Now, these talks are critical to maintain stability,\u201d Lebatlang added, highlighting the importance of transparency and cooperation.<\/p>\n

As the city navigates this financial impasse, residents and businesses anxiously await a resolution that will safeguard Johannesburg\u2019s energy supply and protect its economic interests.<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Moulana Junaid Khsarsany and Councillor Zark Lebatlang here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 08 November 2024 | 18:50 CAT In a recent public notice, Eskom has threatened to cut off electricity to Johannesburg due to the city\u2019s staggering R4.9 billion debt. This sum excludes an additional R1.4 billion, which will be payable by the end of November, adding to Johannesburg\u2019s existing R90 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":93035,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-news","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-08-195827.jpg?fit=628%2C345&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-ocy","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 04:46:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}