Eskom says it will intensify scheduled bulk supply interruptions to the Masilonyana Local Municipality this week.

The Free State municipality is now entering into the second week of scheduled interruptions and the utility says it plans to extend interruptions by two hours per day.

Longer interruptions in the pipeline

Scheduled supply interruptions started on 28 February 2018 due to the municipality’s failure to honour its more than R48 million Eskom debt.  Affected areas include Brandfort, Theunissen, Winburg and Verkeerdevlei.

“Unfortunately no satisfactory agreement has been reached with the Masilonyana Local Municipality.  We hope that the municipality will make the payments required to halt the interruption before we proceed to the third week which entail a daily 14 hour long interruption,” says Bibi Bedir, Senior Manager Customer Service, Free State.

Limiting personal and business loss

Eskom is urging all electricity consumers in the affected towns to make sufficient arrangements to limit personal and business loss and to ensure that effective contingency measures are in place to prevent serious injury or loss of life that might result from the scheduled interruptions.

“Notwithstanding the proposed indicative times for the interruption of electricity supply, Eskom may, upon 15 calendar days’ notice, serve the right to disconnect electricity entirely and indefinitely should the electricity debt situation not improve,” the municipality warns.