Inxuba Municipality Mayor Says Eskom Disconnection Threat Not Imminent

The Inxuba Yethemba Municipality has assured residents that there is no immediate threat of electricity supply interruption, despite a notice circulating on social media from Eskom.

The municipality claims it has not received formal correspondence from Eskom regarding the matter and attributes the issue to a longstanding dispute over incorrect tariff billing. According to the municipality, Eskom has been billing them using an incorrect tariff structure (Nightshift Save instead of Megaflex), contributing to a significant debt.

“This situation is not new. A similar matter arose in 2021, where the High Court raised concerns about affordability and ruled against the disconnection of electricity to the residents of Inxuba Yethemba,” said Executive Mayor Noncedo Zonke.

According to Zonke, the issue is further complicated by the fact that over 60% of electricity consumers in the area are directly supplied by Eskom, limiting the municipality’s ability to implement credit control measures.

A previous High Court judgment in 2021 ruled against Eskom disconnecting electricity to residents, and the municipality plans to return to court to address the issue.

“The municipality will return to court, particularly as there is already a court judgment preventing Eskom from disconnecting electricity to the people of Inxuba Yethemba,” said Zonke.

Zonke attributes the historical Eskom debt to incorrect billing and spanning three previous administrations.

The municipality’s assurance comes as Eskom’s notice has caused concern among residents, who are urged to remain calm and ignore the social media reports.

“We urge our community to remain calm and not be alarmed by information circulating on social media. The municipality remains committed to protecting the interests of our residents and will continue to pursue all legal avenues to ensure that our community is treated fairly,” said Zonke.