On Wednesday 16 November the entire electricity supply to QwaQwa, a community of more than 350 000 residents, failed due to an electrical storm, which caused damage between Eskom’s Sorata substation, near Tshiame, and QwaQwa.
Eskom maintains that they are not able to restore power until the soil dries sufficiently to enable their equipment to safely enter the site. The public utility is vague on when exactly they expect the work to continue.
A great deal of rain has fallen in the area this season and even more has fallen since Wednesday. Eskom claims that MaP being the worst-paying municipality in South Africa is not a factor in their decision. It is hard to believe that the cash-strapped SOE is not influenced by economic decisions.
On 23 September 2022, the MaP Local Council made a decision that the Municipal Manager should sign the Distribution Agency Agreement between the municipality and Eskom, in accordance with a court order and months of negotiation. Due to inaction from the municipality, 2 months later, in the midst of ongoing electricity outages caused by failing electrical and road infrastructure, MaP is suffering from unreliable, or non-existent power.
Although the municipality’s accounts are diabolically unreliable, the last statistics available are for July 2022. In that month according to Eskom bulk services invoices, the SOE billed the municipality R89m for electricity, R20m interest, and R14m for VAT and was paid a paltry R15m by the municipality
The DA has attempted to focus political attention on a Financial Recovery plan, but it has become clear that neither officials nor politicians regard the municipality’s financial recovery as worthy of their attention.
The DA has asked the Executive Mayor to join the Whips of Council to oversee the damaged Sorata substation so that councillors can provide accurate information to the community and prevent rumours from spreading. The DA has requested that Eskom address Council on this issue at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 22nd.