AFFAIRS: Hon Speaker, we have been involved in lots of discussions to resolve this particular matter. Our position has been, in relation to the resolving the problem of debts that municipalities owe Eskom and the water boards, that we need to find lasting solutions to this problem with the strengthening of municipalities as short-term solutions and make sure that litigation is not the way that we resolve this matter because we are all part of the same government. The debt owed by the municipalities was R17,7 billion as of 31 July and it has gone up to R24,3 billion by 31 December 2018. We made progress last year in dealing with the issue of the dispute particularly between the SA Local Government Association, Salga, and Eskom with regard to the jurisdiction with regards to the reticulation of electricity. Our Inter-Ministerial Task Team was set up to deal with these and they then presented a framework of resolving these matters which were then tabled to Cabinet at the end of last year. To us it was quite an achievement to arrive at unanimity between Eskom and the municipalities so that we adopt a binding and co-