A fight is brewing over who controls electricity at local government level. The South African Local Government Association, (SALGA) has sounded an alarm about a new plan from Eskom, the proposed Distribution Agency Agreement saying it looks like a “backdoor takeover” of the job of municipalities to provide electricity to residents and businesses.

SALGA says while it acknowledges the critical need for a stable power supply, the plan in its current form, threatens to undermine the constitutional mandate of local government.

SALGA argues that if the plan will have far-reaching implications for governance and the economy. It says communities could lose their crucial right to hold their elected municipal leaders accountable for reliable electricity delivery.

It also worries that municipalities could face the risk of being stripped of a core developmental function, critically weakening their overall financial sustainability.

SALGA President Bheke Stofile says while the R210 billion owed by municipalities to Eskom and water boards is often talked about, the even bigger amount of R416 billion owed to municipalities by households, businesses and government departments is ignored.

He says this distorts public perception and undermines trust. Stofile has called on national government and Eskom to rather work on empowering local government.