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MISAtv this week interviewed Wayne Duvenage, Chief Executive Officer of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), on the organisation’s civic campaigns and its long standing fight against e tolls.
In an updated development, Duvenage revealed that OUTA is preparing urgent legal action to prevent Eskom from cutting power to the City of Johannesburg due to billions in unpaid municipal debt.
The City owes R5.3 billion in historic debt plus R1,6 billion on its current account. The result is that four massive substations serving areas from north to south Johannesburg risk being cut off after the City failed to meet the payment deadline.
Duvenage stated: “If Eskom wants to cut off the power we will interdict that. OUTA is prepared to go to court to compel NERSA to get a court order that removes the funds from the City of Joburg and pays it directly to Eskom.” He confirmed that OUTA is watching developments closely and intends to approach the courts at the end of June or early July. The organisation’s strategy is either to compel NERSA to redirect funds directly to Eskom or to interdict Eskom from switching off the lights.
This looming crisis has profound implications. Johannesburg is South Africa’s economic hub. If Eskom cuts supply, households will be plunged into darkness, businesses will grind to a halt, and jobs will be lost. The ripple effects would devastate Gauteng’s economy and undermine national stability.
MISA, representing workers in the motor industry, shares OUTA’s alarm. Martlé Keyter, MISA’s CEO of Operations, stressed: “Workers and their families cannot be collateral damage in disputes between Eskom and municipalities. Cutting off power to Johannesburg would be catastrophic for jobs, businesses, and households. MISA calls for urgent transparency and accountability in municipal finances, and for decisive action to protect the livelihoods of ordinary South Africans.”
The crisis underscores systemic failures in governance and accountability. While residents and businesses continue to pay for electricity, allegations persist that funds are not reaching Eskom. OUTA’s planned court action highlights the urgency of consequence management and the need for direct intervention to safeguard energy supply.
MISAtv will continue to track this story as it unfolds. The stakes are high: the lights of South Africa’s biggest city, and the livelihoods of its people, hang in the balance. Click on this link to watch the interview: https://youtu.be/4DwsnSum0Mk
Issued by Sonja Carstens, Manager of MISA’s Media & Communication Department, on behalf of the Union.
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