The National Electricity Company, SNEL Uvira DR Congo taken to High Court for not providing power as expected to his customers.
A case opposes the millers of Uvira-DR Congo to National Electricity Company, SNEL in acronym. Mr Munganga, the head of the center of the state power company which provides electricity from Ruzizi river power station, feeding also Rwanda and Burundi, and his deputy were invited on 5th September 2011 by the High Court to answer the charge against their company.
Millers complaints is based on the fact that this power company is not providing power as excepted to customers, untimely cuts of electricity and overcharging of bills though customers are meeting well their duty. This affects so much their commercial activities paying bills without obtaining advantages in return.
Workers of the National Electricity Company were unhappy when they heard that the head of their company and his deputy have to stand before the court to answer these charges against them. Therefore they tried to have the administrator of Uvira territory to interfere in this case which is at the court already.
On 07th September 2011 workers of this company went in the morning at the office of the administrator of Uvira territory and stood in front of the entry door of his office to try to compel the administrator of the territory to receive them in his office and listen to their concern. They wanted him to interfere in the high court duties by trying to have him pressurize the High Court to cancel the case against their company, which is breaking the Congolese law, once a case is in the court in the DR Congo no one else is allowed to interfere the judges have to work in all freedom.
On the other hand leaders of the civilian society are very supportive to this judicial approach undertaken by the millers to claim their right.
There is a questions which is always asked by people of Uvira, Bukavu and Goma: “why there is more repeated cuts of electricity in Uvira, Bukavu and Goma-DR Congo yet in Rwanda and Burundi being fed on the same power station have always power in permanence.”
Some analysts think that there is corruption in the DR Congo which is not yet revealed causing always repeated power cuts, over charging of bills and others problems.
People in Uvira are saying that, this case will reveal where corruption is hidden in this company. Last year an organization defending the right of the customers took also to the High Court of Bukavu the National Electricity Company of South Kivu province-DR Congo for the same reasons: not providing power as excepted to customers, untimely cuts of electricity without reasonable reasons, overcharging of bills, the last reason is that South Kivu province has higher bills of power to be payed by their customers comparing to all other provinces of the DR Congo.
The question is that why only south Kivu would have bills higher than all other provinces without meeting the expectations of customers. Also why doesn’t this company meet well its duties when customers pay well their bills?
This company doesn’t mind meet expectations of the customers. The Millers of Uvira have only copied what has been done already in Bukavu expecting that they will win this case.
Rostand Mana, DR Congo
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