UMhlathuze Municipality vs Eskom

By: Lindelani Mbatha

City of uMhlathuze Mayor, Mduduzi Mhlongo, says he’s concerned about Eskom’s management decisions in eMpangeni region which are not practical on implementation.

Mhlongo is accusing the power utility of not finding long lasting solutions to the power supply in the outer areas of eSikhaleni Township that has plunged the whole cluster into chaos and darkness.

Yesterday, angry residents blocked roads with burning tyres and rubble, protesting over the interruption of electricity, while Eskom tackles illegal connections and vandalism of its infrastructure.

Mhlongo’s spokesperson Mdu Ncalane says the utility must get its act right and do what is correct to restore power with immediate effect and deal with illegal connectivity later.

Meanwhile, in a statement Eskom says eSikhaleni residents have been experiencing frequent and extended outages due to illegal connections and meter bypassing which result in the overloading of networks.