Collectively the Tsantsabane, Magareng, Kamiesburg, Khai-Ma and Richtersveld municipalities have owed Eskom over R273 million since May.
Eskom said the rolling blackouts will happen for most of the day until they pay up.
Section 139 gives provincial executive committees or national government the power to take appropriate steps including the imposition of a recovery plan and possible dissolution of municipal councils.
Eskom says they are owed around R15 billion rand by defaulting councils.
Water ans Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane says that her department will now begin bulk water restrictions to five defaulting municipalities who have ignored their demands.
Minister Nomvula Mokonyane says out of the 30 defaulting municipalities, 25 have made contact with water authorities.
Treasury figures showed that municipalities were owed over R140 billion from households at the end of September.
The department says the system, which consists of 14 dams that are vital for the province, had been decreasing week-on-week.
The department had given at least 30 defaulting municipalities until yesterday to pay their debts of the last two months.
Municipalities have until Friday to come up with ideas on how they will start making good of their promises to pay their debt.
The Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo is R520 million in the red, ranking in the top five of councils who have not been paying for water supply.
Matjhabeng Local Municipality in the Free State is on top of the list with R1.8 billion.
Minister Nomvula Mokonyane says she’s had enough of shouldering the blame and that it’s the Department of Cooperative Governance that chairs the inter-ministerial committee on municipal problems.
For the first time ever, debt owing to municipalities is greater than their R111 billion grant allocation from Treasury.
While the Western Cape is experiencing its worst drought in a century, other parts of the country are also experiencing water shortages.
Minister of Water & Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane has appealed to municipalities who owe government to make the necessary arrangements to pay their current accounts and debt of over R10 billion.
Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane on Monday gave an update about her departments battle with defaulting municipalities.
Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has given an update in Johannesburg about the department's uphill battle with defaulting municipalities.
