Joburg Mayor: Engagement over Soweto’s Eskom debt ongoing

Joburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse has told Soweto residents that engagement over the township’s Eskom debt is ongoing.

Phalatse was at the Soweto Amphitheatre on Saturday to provide feedback to a memorandum handed over in a recent service delivery protest.

“We’ve been working with Eskom, and engaging with them for months. In fact, when we came into office, one of my very first issues that I had to contend with as a newly-elected mayor, was the issue of Eskom in Soweto.”

Phalatse said the city is addressing these issues.

“I understand that Eskom debt in Soweto is a huge problem, however, we must ask ourselves whether this debt is recoverable. I tabled this question to Eskom, and I am yet to receive a response from the Ministers.”

The Soweto community has been facing a number of challenges, including housing issues and unplanned power cuts, which recently sparked a protest to the City’s offices.

Eskom claims the blackouts are a result of unpaid debt owed by the township.

Besides electricity-related problems, residents raised other concerns as well, including the issue of undocumented migrants.

Daphne Mokwena – operations and maintenance manager at Eskom Gauteng acknowledged reports from residents and expresses that by end of October their target is to have all mini substations repaired across Soweto.

Mokwena claims some parts of Soweto such as Pimville are fully restored in power with smooth operations.

In her address, Phalatse pledged to ensure all issues that were raised in the memorandum provided to her office by residents will be dealt with in 14 days including undocumented migrants, informal settlements and electricity issues.

-EWN

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