NELSPRUIT’S city council has threatened to cut the power supply to the police station and prison unless they settle almost over R300000 in unpaid bills. A similar threat for Mpumalanga’s health department to pay R500000 on Friday to prevent the province’s third biggest hospital, Rob Ferreira Hospital, from being plunged into darkness. The National Department of Public Works still owes more than R300000 to the City Council for unpaid electricity bills at the local police station and prison. According to the city’s treasurer Nantes Kruger the bill has been outstanding for more than three months. Kruger said the council met with department officials last Friday who promised to settle the bill this Friday. Kruger said government departments were notorious for tardy payments because of the bureaucracy involved. “Most of the time we are very lenient with government departments,” he added.