Eskom to CUT power in these 14 municipalities over unpaid bills

Eskom has no recourse but to cut power in the following 14 municipalities over unpaid debts. In a statement this week from the power utility, it explained that formal consultation processes were underway. It is targeting areas with more than 18 months’ outstanding debt.

While Eskom has been able to turnaround the country’s load-shedding crisis, it still needs to claw back billions in unpaid debt – R110 billion to be exact. And the worst proponents of this are not individuals but rather massive municipalities.  

ESKOM TO CUT POWER IN 14 MUNICIPALITIES

So, if Eskom is to cut power when might proceedings go ahead? Well, the official statement does not name specific municipalities, other than Enoch Mgijima in the Eastern Cape. But it does note that the defaulters are all in the provinces of Mpumalanga, Free State, North West and the Eastern Cape.

Nevertheless, it’s not difficult to look back at historical data in these provinces to find who the worst offenders are. While not officially confirmed, these are the municipalities in the four provinces that have repeatedly topped Eskom’s defaulter lists:

MPUMALANGA

• eMalahleni (Witbank) — South Africa’s single worst offender, owing R9.9 billion (November 2025)
• Lekwa (Standerton) — A chronic defaulter since 2018
• Govan Mbeki — Repeatedly flagged for unpaid bills
• Msukaligwa (Ermelo)
• Steve Tshwete

FREE STATE

• Maluti-a-Phofung — Allegedly owing R7 billion, second-highest defaulter nationally
• Matjhabeng (Welkom) — Owing around R5 billion
• Ngwathe (Parys) — Consistent offender
• Moqhaka (Kroonstad)
• Dihlabeng (Bethlehem)

NORTH WEST

• Ditsobotla (Lichtenburg) — On the defaulter lists since 2015
• City of Matlosana (Klerksdorp) — Failed to settle R1.5 billion debt after court proceedings
• Naledi — Newly added

*All of the above are not named outright by Eskom but are historical defaulters.

NATIONAL TREASURY DEBT RELIEF PROGRAMME

Moreover, all of the municipalities have entered the National Treasury’s municipal debt relief programme. However, they have not met various conditions, and now “pose a serious financial risk,” says the power utility. As such, before it moves to cut power, it will issue notices under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA).

The power utility says it needs to, “tackle rising debt to protect the operational stability it has worked to rebuild over the past three years.” If money fails to materialise, Eskom will start cutting electricity supply at set times. And if defaults continue, the utility will start to limit supply to match any payment in arrears.

‘UNFORTUNATE’ ESKOM FORCED TO CUT POWER

Furthermore, Eskom understands that, “communities may suffer as a result of this action.” But it says electricity without payment is simply no longer an option. According to reports, of 71 municipalities enrolled in the National Treasury debt relief programme, only 24 have maintained their efforts. As such, 87% of municipalities approved for the programme are failing to meet the conditions required for debt write-offs.

But what do you think? Is it the municipalities’ fault? Or are end-users stealing and not paying for electricity the ones to blame? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below …