The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved a licence for Joe Morolong local municipality to distribute electricity to Hotazel, a mine town near Kuruman, in the Northern Cape, where Samancor Manganese mines.
Samancor Manganese – a 60:40 joint venture between miners South32 and Anglo American – currently supplies the town. Samancor Manganese, which does not have an electricity distribution licence, has decided to cede electricity supply to the municipality as it was considered a noncore business.
Samancor Manganese built the town, consisting of 696 erven, in the 1980s for its employees in the early years of starting mining operations in the area.
Nersa said that Eskom supported the application by Joe Morolong local municipality to supply the electricity in Hotazel and that the power utility would change the bulk account from Samancor Manganese to the municipality.