Sakeliga and Ditsobotla Services Association restore businesses’ power in Lichtenburg once again 

The unlawful interruption of electricity by the Ditsobotla Local Municipality this week has just been restored, following intervention by Sakeliga and the Ditsobotla Services Association (DSA).  This week, the municipality, in defiance of a court order, once again cut the electricity of several DSA members and others in the town due to alleged non-payment. However, affected members of the DSA have valid pending Section 102 disputes against the municipality, meaning they are following the statutory process to contest the municipality’s accounts and version of service delivery. Moreover, the municipality mostly fails to issue bills, even though the court has explicitly ordered it to do so.  On 31 May this year, the Mahikeng High Court ordered that the municipality may not cut the power of any DSA members who have valid Section 102 disputes pending. The court also ordered the municipality to issue proper bills by or before 1 July 2024. Furthermore, the order stipulates that the municipality must meet with the DSA and affected members to discuss the accounts and their resolution.  The municipality has failed to meet any of these obligations.

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Sakeliga will continue to assist the DSA and its members in this regard, particularly by relying on the specific and existing orders in favor of the DSA and Sakeliga. It is crucial to protect the ability of businesses that are members of a services association to declare disputes and not be penalised for doing so.  Sakeliga acknowledges that other residents and businesses, who are not DSA members, are also being subjected to power outages due to alleged non-payment. However, we emphasise that the legal assistance and protection obtained in May only applies to DSA members with valid Section 102 disputes. We encourage those in Ditsobotla who align themselves with the DSA’s objectives but are not yet members to join and follow the necessary dispute processes. This can contribute to the restoration of order in Lichtenburg and surrounding towns.   In doing so, businesses and residents can also enjoy future assistance and protection to the greatest extent possible under these difficult circumstances.