Hilton left in the dark, Pappas issues ultimatum to Msunduzi

Residents in Hilton have been left without electricity for the second day as protests by Msunduzi empoyees continues, prompting an urgent ultimatum from Umgeni Mayor Chris Pappas. Pappas said uMngeni Municipality is considering approaching the High Court on an urgent basis to compel Msunduzi to fulfil its statutory obligations and prevent further interruptions to essential services. In a letter to Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla, Pappas said the failure to attend to electricity faults and maintenance amounted to a disruption of an essential service, with serious consequences for residents’ safety, wellbeing and economic activity.

At least 15 households in Hilton, which falls under uMngeni’s jurisdiction but receives electricity from Msunduzi, remain without power due to unattended faults. He warned that ongoing protests could worsen outages across the wider Hilton area if urgent steps were not taken. Pappas said the municipality’s intention was not to escalate tensions but to ensure residents were not unfairly affected by circumstances beyond their control.

As an alternative, uMngeni has requested immediate authorisation to deploy its own contracted electrical service providers to carry out repairs, with costs to be recovered from Msunduzi. While uMngeni said it was acting to protect residents, it reiterated that responsibility for electricity infrastructure and maintenance in the affected areas remains with Msunduzi. Pappas has requested a written response by Wednesday, February 18, outlining steps being taken to restore electricity and ensure future faults affecting uMngeni-supplied areas are resolved promptly. He warned that failure to respond would result in urgent court action, including a request for a punitive costs order against Msunduzi’s leadership.