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While three municipalities in the Free State managed to come to an arrangement with the power utility Eskom and continue with uninterrupted power supply, Nketoana Local Municipality failed to enter into the same agreement and will face interruptions twice a day.
According to Eskom, three Free State local municipalities – Nala, Masilonyana and Ngwathe – have averted the implementation of supply interruption measures arising from non-payment of their bulk electricity accounts by agreeing to enter into Distribution Agency Agreements (DAAs) with Eskom.
Stefanie Jansen Van Rensburg, the Industry Support and Stakeholder Management for Eskom says as a transitional arrangement, and while the process to finalise the DAAs is underway, it remains the municipalities’ responsibility to pay their current accounts. To this extent, the interruption/reduction of the bulk electricity supply remains suspended, subject to the municipalities paying their current accounts while the parties finalise the DAA.
Nketoana Local Municipality has however not made any effort to enter into such an agreement and will therefore face twice-daily electricity supply interruptions in Lindley, Petrus Steyn and Reitz from 07:00–09:00 and 18:00–21:00, with effect from 08 May 2026.
“In notices published in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (Act 3 of 2000) on 06 March 2026, Eskom warned that failure by these four municipalities to settle their electricity accounts on the due date may result in the interruption of bulk supply, unless the municipal council concludes a DAA with Eskom.
After considering public representations submitted regarding Eskom’s intention to interrupt Nketoana’s supply, Eskom has concluded that the submissions received did not provide a solution that would enable Eskom to continue supplying bulk electricity to Nketoana in a sustainable manner.
Furthermore, the Municipality has failed to either pass a council resolution to enter into a Distribution Agency Agreement (DAA) with Eskom, enter into a prepayment agreement under which Eskom supplies only the bulk electricity the Municipality can afford, or enter into an arrangement in terms of which the Municipality’s customers pay Eskom directly for their electricity consumption,” said Jansen Van Rensburg.
“A letter advising the Municipality of Eskom’s intention to interrupt supply was sent on 23 April 2026. A notice in this regard was published in the Journal News on 24 April 2026, and a repeat notice will be published in the Vrystaat Kroon newspaper on 29 April.
All stakeholders who are likely to be materially and adversely affected by Eskom’s decision are urged to take the necessary precautions to limit the impact of the supply interruptions,” she concluded.
