According to a report by the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) submitted to the Gauteng legislature’s CoGTA committee, Soweto owes Eskom more than R17 billion, which is half of the country’s debt to Eskom.
The information came to light last month when a FF Plus spokesperson, Amanda de Lange, announced it by way of a statement.
According to De Lange, “the default culture of electricity consumers in Soweto is probably the biggest cause of Eskom being forced to its knees”.
Soweto’s default has been going on for years and politicians have been trying unsuccessfully to persuade power consumers to pay portions of their debt. Threats to cut the power supply also serve no purpose. Residents insist the ANC promised free electricity and water to voters in their election pledges. The culture of non-payment has now become a legacy of the ANC struggle.
Meanwhile, the national power supply is struggling to survive financially an
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