Eskom deal discussions deferred

By Libuseng Nyaka

QWAQWA- Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality council has resolved that discussions on the progress made in the implementation of the agreement on the Eskom Distribution Agency Agreement (DAA) signed by both MAP and Eskom be scheduled for another meeting.

This after the Eskom DAA progress report which was tabled by executive mayor Masetjhaba Lakaje-Mosia turned out to have some crucial information missing from the document, prompting some councillors to refuse to participatein the debate.
Lakaje-Mosia had submitted that decision to withdraw 100 larger power buyers which has since been allowed to purchase straight from Eskom be approved by the council.

Clarifying the item further, Council whip Moeketsi Lebesa said there have been several meetings between the office of the Premier, Eskom management and MAP municipality on how to resuscitate efforts to implement the DAA and the establishment of a project management office (PMO).

“We propose to council to rescind its decision to return large power users to the municipality as it has serious implications on Eskom and implementation of DAA, and there is a risk that it will undermine the current process of the office of premier that is undertaking. These are the resolutions that the executive mayor is putting to the council. At least payments made by these large users to Eskom are assisting the municipality in decreasing our debt from Eskom.”

However, councillors were unhappy as the information read by Lebesa was not documented in the agenda, therefore they proposed for the report to be discussed in another council sitting .
Commenting on the matter, Alison Oates suggested the discussion on the DAA progress be scheduled for the next meeting .

“Now what is happening is that we are being asked to approve something which is completely not on the table. On the 6th of October we were told that DAA has been signed but where is the document? You cannot expect us to approve something which we do not have any documentation of. In fact, we have a documentation of complete opposite. You think we are fools.”

Map executive mayor Masetjhaba Lakaje-Mosia during council sitting.

Interjecting, Lebesa rose on a point of order and asked Oates to use a better word than ‘fools’. Oates obliged and used the word ‘naive’ instead.
But Speaker of the council Mandlankosi Dlamini confirmed that the DAA has been signed after checking the document.

While confirming that DAA has been signed, Shashapa Motaung shared Oates sentiments that progress on the Eskom agreement be rescheduled. “We cannot support a document that we have not received, that is not in the council.”