🇿🇦South AfricaSouthern Africa
Court orders Tshwane to restore power to schools disconnected over rates
via The Citizen3 min read
The City of Tshwane has been ordered by an urgent court ruling to restore electricity to schools that had their power cut last week as part of the #TshwaneYaTima campaign, aimed at collecting outstanding debt owed to the municipality. AfriForum, representing Laerskool Wierdapark and other affected schools, welcomed the court order. AfriForum's head of cultural affairs, Alana Bailey, stated that while schools are responsible for service bills like electricity and water, property rates are the responsibility of authorities, which she noted was not happening in Tshwane. Bailey highlighted that the power cuts disrupted teaching, disabled safety systems, halted feeding schemes, and caused food spoilage. She also noted that generators provided only essential services at high costs, making it unsustainable. The DA Gauteng spokesperson for health, Madeleine Hicklin, added that Mayor Nasiphi Moya's revenue collection initiative has also caused power disruptions at the forensic pathology laboratory in Tshwane, despite the facility having no outstanding debt and operating on a prepaid meter. These disruptions have forced the laboratory to rely on generators, creating uncertainty and pressure on operations, with funeral parlours reportedly urged to collect bodies promptly due to fears of further disconnections.
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