Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says that if government takes over a portion of Eskom's debt, then municipalities should also get grace for the debt they owe the power utility. | LameezOmarjee
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi wants Soweto's debt to Eskom to be scrapped.
"Minister Godongwana, we truly appreciate how you respect negotiations. Can we safely assume that the Soweto Eskom electricity debt and that of other townships is also scrapped as per our intensive lobby?" Lesufi tweeted on Friday. "Our argument remains, if Eskom debt is taken over by the central government, what our people owe Eskom in townships, informal settlements and hostels must also be scrapped. We need to reposition our townships, informal settlements and hostels so that they can be centres of growth."
As of 30 September 2022, Soweto still owed the power utility R4.7 billion, the utility confirmed on Friday.