Eskom Office in KwaZulu-Natal Left in the Dark After Failing to Pay R500k Bill, Leaving SA Howling

• An Eskom office in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal had its electricity shut down due to non-payment of a R500 000 bill
• The power utility allegedly owes the uMhlathuze municipality almost R500 000, sparking humorous reactions online
• This came after the uMngeni Local Municipality rejected the tariff increase and said citizens were unable to cope

KWAZULU-NATAL - Eskom’s office in Empangeni in the north of KwaZulu-Natal had its power cut due to non-payment, leaving citizens in stitches.

The power utility’s office failed to pay its high electricity bill. Eskom allegedly owes the uMhlathuze municipality almost R500 000.

The state-owned utility is not the only establishment to be disconnected. According to TimesLIVE, the city also planned to cut the power to Mhlathuze Water in Richards Bay and the departments of education, transport and social welfare.

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The move left many South Africans tickled, with many taking to social media to poke fun at Eskom’s office.

Mzansi reacts to Eskom’s power cut

@imhereZA said:

“The jokes keep writing themselves! Wow.”

@ZAPresident commented:

“South Africa...where the jokes write themselves.”

@PeterHerring posted:

“Can I ask who wrote this comedic script? Get this people. Figure this out.”

@JSalikram wrote:

“You can't get more hilarious than this.”

@linsam12 added:

“Is it 1st April already?”

KZN municipality rejects tariff hikes

Meanwhile, the uMngeni Local Municipality rejected the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's (Nersa) tariff increase. Mayor Chris Pappas labelled the possible increases as “uncaring and unsympathetic” to citizens and small businesses.

He said Eskom and Nersa showed a complete lack of understanding. According to IOL, Pappas added that many local businesses were already unable to cope with the implementation of Stage 6 loadshedding.

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Eskom expected to run out of diesel in 2 weeks, sparking serious concerns from citizens

Briefly News also reported that South Africa is on the brink of an electricity emergency due to a large energy generation gap and the unavailability of units at Eskom’s power stations.

The state-owned power utility is working hard to obtain the diesel needed to run its open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs). The procurement of diesel is the only viable solution to the country’s electricity woes as fuel could completely run out by the end of the month.

Many citizens are highly concerned about the fuel shortage and believe that the country is headed for doom.

Source: Briefly News