uMfolozi Municipality, under the leadership of the Honourable Mayor, Cllr Xolani Bhengu, held an engagement session with the Mbuyazi Traditional Council in Ward 03 at Inkosi Mbonambi’s Traditional Court on Tuesday, 14 October 2025.
The session formed part of the municipality’s ongoing Integrated Development Plan (IDP) consultation process aimed at strengthening collaboration between traditional leadership and the municipality in addressing development and service delivery priorities.
In attendance were the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Timothy Biyela (representing the Mayor), the Speaker of Council, Cllr Mkhangezeni Mthiyane, the Municipal Manager, Mr. Fred Mazibuko, the Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Thula Nkosi, senior managers, municipal staff, and members of the Mbuyazi Traditional Council.
During the engagement, Mr. Sipho Ndlovu, representing Eskom, highlighted key challenges affecting electricity provision in the area. He noted that the rapid increase in household connections and illegal electricity connections have placed pressure on Eskom’s infrastructure and affected its financial sustainability.
Mr. Ndlovu explained that the load-reduction, which is scheduled between between 17:00 till 21:00 in some areas, is designed to protect infrastructure and mitigate risks associated with system overloads. He urged residents to purchase electricity legally, noting that non-payment and illegal connections ultimately affect all consumers.
“When transformers are damaged due to overload by non-paying residents, Eskom does not cover the cost of replacement. Communities often end up paying out of their own pockets to restore power,” he said.
He further appealed to residents and traditional leaders to work together in safeguarding Eskom infrastructure and reporting illegal connections. The Mbuyazi Traditional Council also took the opportunity to raise key development needs and service delivery concerns within their community, which will be considered as part of the IDP planning process.