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Family suing Eskom ordered to pay 2 years' fees - Phasiwe

Cape Town – A Cape Town family that is suing Eskom for cutting off their electricity for five months was ordered by the Public Protector to pay two years of unpaid electricity bills, according to the power utility on Monday.

Eskom cut off electricity to the Khumalo’s house in Khayelitsha in February due to the meter box being tampered with.  

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe told Fin24 on Monday that Eskom fined the Khumalo family R12 000 for the infringement, which they would have to pay before being reconnected.

Shorn Khumalo took this up with the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) earlier in the year, which emphasised that they needed to pay the fine, Phasiwe said.

The owner’s son, Shorn Khumalo, then approached the Public Protector in March to investigate the matter. Its preliminary report, which was not supposed to be released to the media but was recently leaked, said Eskom’s conduct constituted maladministration and an abuse of power.

Now Khumalo is seeking assistance from the South African Human Rights Commission to take the matter to court.

“We’ve approached the South African Human Rights Commission because I’m aware that Eskom has got huge legal budget that they probably will try and come guns blazing at my family, but we don’t have the resources to fight them,” he told EWN on Monday.

Phasiwe said Eskom attempted to reconnect the house on Friday after the Public Protector’s preliminary report into the matter ordered this action.

“We were trying to address key aspects of the report, which included reconnecting the customer,” he said, adding that Eskom would only fully respond to the report once it had been officially finalised.

Eskom technicians phoned the owner, Simone Khumalo, who asked her neighbour to let the technicians inside the house, Phasiwe said.

However, her son Shorn allegedly chased them out the house, intimidating them, said Phasiwe.

“He insulted and intimidated our team and told them to get out of the house,” said Phasiwe, adding he has footage of the incident. “If they don’t want to be reconnected, there is nothing we can do.”

Phasiwe said the Public Protector’s preliminary report said the customer has to pay for two years of unpaid electricity fees, which they had not paid due to the faulty meter.

“The report says we need to sit down with the customer and determine a fair amount they must pay,” he said. “That’s where we are with this matter.”

Shorn Khumalo said on Sunday that Eskom’s technicians can come and reconnect his family’s house. “They can bring the box and reconnect us,” he told eNCA. “We are gunning for financial compensation because it’s been five months of suffering.”

“This is not a light issue (sic); it probably happens to most of the families from disadvantaged areas and nobody is able or resourced to get to this point, we’re not backing down,” he said.

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