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Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba is seeking an urgent meeting with the Eskom board over the power utility's declaration that it will no longer do repairs in places illegally connected to the power grid.
This follows a meeting between Mashaba and Eskom officials on Monday to deal with complaints by Soweto residents about illegal electricity connections, vandalised infrastructure and extended blackouts.
"Due to the complex nature of the issues discussed between myself and the Eskom team, during a meeting at Megawatt Park, it was decided that it would be prudent to include the Eskom board in our deliberations," said Mashaba in a statement.
"I have therefore requested an urgent meeting with the board of Eskom and its shareholder within the next 24 hours. The team at Eskom has indeed committed to ensuring this does take place."
Mashaba felt it was important for the city and Eskom to work together to find solutions to issues faced by Sowetans and other residents affected by ongoing blackouts arising from Eksom's credit management processes.
READ: Electricity theft: No more Mr Nice Guy, Eskom warns
Last week Eskom threatened that it will not repair infrastructure in areas where there are illegal connections or the safety of staff cannot be guaranteed.
"Eskom will only restore supply to legal and paying customers in the areas, on condition that the community allows safe access to Eskom staff to conduct audits and remove illegal connections," the statement said.
It was previously reported that Soweto has been ranked as one of the top defaulters in the country, where residents owe Eskom more than R17bn.
Mashaba said last week after Eskom's warning that he felt compelled to intervene on behalf of residents who will be affected by the actions of a few.
