Almost 2-hundred thousand households have pre-paid meters. Eskom says 60% of these households are guilty of some form of tampering.Eskom’s debt stands at billions of rand. That’s according to Board chairman Jabu Mabuza, who says the struggling power utility is projected to make a R20 billion loss for the 2020 financial year. In Soweto alone, residents are said to owe Eskom as much as R18 billion, with many residents illegally connected.
In an attempt to get to the bottom of Soweto’s culture of non-payment the SABC News is hosting a Town Hall debate at the Protea Glen library.Eskom’s acting CEO Jabu Mabuza says the company still faces many challenges but progress has been made in some places. He warned of the huge municipal debt that Eskom is absorbing.
Soweto’s outstanding debt alone stands at R16 billion. Mabuza, was speaking at the presentation of interim results in Johannesburg on Thursday. He says the top 20 defaulting municipalities have a payment level of just 44%. “Which means for every rand they owe us they pay us 44 cents. If they do pay furthermore our debt service obligations largely fall due within the second half of the financial year, putting more pressure on our bottom line and liquidity. It is against this background that while a net profit of R1.3 billion was realised for the period ended 30 September, a R20 billion loss is projected by year end,” says Mabuza.
Power utility Eskom is expecting another R20 billion loss for the full year but has posted a modest profit of R1.3 billion in its interim results.Eskom is set to announce its interim results. The utility still faces severe financial challenges and is likely to report another loss in profits. At its integrated results presentation in July this year, the utility announced a net loss after tax of R21 billion.Some Soweto residents are up in arms over electricity disconnections.
If eskom threatens Bloemfontein to loadshed or to their power, they can do the same with soweto..
In these Eskom_SA discussions I haven't heard unemployed ppl being mentioned. Yes we shud ALL pay, just wondering whether unemployed ppl do not deserve to use electricity
Those who use need to pay. If you cannot pay you cannot use. Its like going to the shop to buy bread. If you have no money, no bread. Ask the ANC why they have given you electricity knowing you could not pay for it. They steal your votes. They use you.
For years my parents could not afford electricity & used a primus & later gas. Me to when I was a young child. Had an outside toilet. We collected water from a spring. Bathed in waterbasin & boiled water on the primus to bath. No shame. You can only use what you can afford.
I hate that people hide under the fact that they are low earning citizens therefore they are subjected to avoid payment of electricity while with the little they earn can buy alcohol in the name of having fun, that Eskom is in huge debts we shouldn't forget that some are abusing
SowetoMustPay
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