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The Hartbeespoort branch of civil rights organisation AfriForum gave the Madibeng Municipality 12 hours to restore electricity to members' households. This after the Municipality decided on Friday, 8 March to cut electricity to about 40 households without the required 14 days' notice.  
 
In 2010 the Constitutional Court delivered a verdict in the case of Joseph vs. Johannesburg Metro which determined that electricity is a necessary basic service which the Municipality was bound to supply.  The Court determined that the applicants were entitled to procedural justice and that they had been given insufficient opportunity to respond.  
 
In this instance, the electricity had been cut in spite of proof delivered by AfriForum members that their accounts were settled in full. Members allege that the credit control section of the Municipality is not functioning properly.    
 
The Madibeng Municipality is constantly in the news over mismanagement of funds, corruption and fraud, and various cases against officials are still pending.  Gobodo, forensic investigators, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and the Hawks have started investigations and found irregularities in the Municipality.  AfriForum is considering requesting its own investigative unit to consolidate the findings of these investigations and to bring the guilty parties to justice.  The organisation is also considering opening civil-criminal cases if the Hawks do not complete pending cases timeously.
 
In addition, AfriForum is considering bringing an urgent application before the North Gauteng High Court if the Municipality should fail to restore electricity as requested.  AfriForum is considering holding officials who are responsible for the chaos in the Municipality accountable in their personal capacities.
 
Residents who have been affected negatively, may send e-mails to Eunice Serfontein at euniceserfontein@gmail.com <mailto:euniceserfontein@gmail.com> or to Ian Cameron, AfriForum organiser for North-West, at ian@afriforum.co.za <mailto:ian@afriforum.co.za> .