Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana has revealed that municipalities taking part in Eskom’s debt relief programme have accumulated a further R47.173 billion in new arrears since April 2023.
The Eskom Municipal Debt Relief Programme was introduced by National Treasury to help struggling municipalities deal with their unpaid Eskom bills. The aim was to reduce old municipal debt while helping municipalities improve their finances and pay Eskom on time.
The debt was not automatically written off. Municipalities had to meet conditions, including improving revenue collection and keeping up with current Eskom payments. A total of 71 municipalities were approved to take part.
In a written reply to Parliament, following a question from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Farhat Essack, Godongwana said the municipalities had accumulated R47.173 billion in new arrears owed to Eskom since April 2023.
"As of 31 May 2026, Eskom reported the 71 Municipal Debt Relief participants to owe Eskom R47.173 billion in new arrears accumulated since 01 April 2023," Godongwana said.
