SEC cuts power supply to Health headquarters

MBABANE – Operations came to a halt at the Ministry of Health headquarters yesterday when the Swaziland Electricity Company cut off power supply to the building due to an outstanding debt.

From morning until around 2:30pm, employees of the ministry were found loitering while others sat in offices chatting.

Other offices were left unattended, with computers and other electronic gadgets lying idle.

Employees from SEC reportedly visited the ministry in the morning and spoke to senior managers before switching off the power supply. Though SEC cut power supply at the headquarters, it was ascertained that the ministry’s debt was not in respect to the head office’s power supply, but concerned unpaid bills for hospitals and clinics.

These, as confirmed by Principal Secretary Dr Steven Shongwe, include Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital, Motshane Community Clinic and other clinics. Shongwe decried what happened and acknowledged that it was financially related.

"What is most unfortunate is that we do not have sufficient information on how much we owe.

"Accountants in the ministry are also trying to reconcile records to find out the amount owed," the PS said.

After the electricity was cut off, the ministry’s senior managers, including the chief financial officer, went to the SEC headquarters to negotiate that the power be restored while payment was being arranged.

SEC is said to have demanded that before restoring the power supply, the ministry should make a formal undertaking to settle the debt.

"We then made a promise in writing that we will pay what we owe. Still, they demanded that we should give a period by which payment would have been made and we assured them that we hope to have paid by January 17," said the PS.

Shongwe, however, registered unhappiness at the manner the electricity was cut off, more especially because government has a long-standing relationship with SEC.

"We are not comfortable that SEC had to cut the power supply abruptly. Government always pays its debts. We are not like an insolvent person.

"Even though the power was cut off at headquarters, hospitals, however, need certain information from us here. A lot of other ministries were also affected because of this. Moreover, SEC is a parastatal and belongs to government, therefore, we should have sat down and spoken about this instead of them cutting off the supply," the PS said.

SEC Corporate Communications Manager Sifiso Dhlamini said the disconnection was an ongoing exercise that began in December.

"As of January 7, 2013, the exercise resumed. Last month a lot of individuals and companies also had their power supply disconnected and they then paid up. This is an ongoing exercise," Dhlamini said. The power was, however, restored late yesterday afternoon.

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