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Soweto resists prepaid power meters

File Photo: A prepaid electricity meter. Photo: Elizabeth SejakE
File Photo: A prepaid electricity meter. Photo: Elizabeth SejakE

Resistance from Soweto residents has led to power utility Eskom connecting just under a third of targeted households to its prepaid smart meters.

As Eskom makes a push to convert all Soweto residents to prepaid amid mounting debt, Daphne Mokwena, Eskom's operations and maintenance manager, told members of parliament (MPs) during public hearings yesterday that only 49000 residents had signed up for the smart meters since they were introduced in 2013.

Residents currently owe Eskom R8-billion in arrears.

Eskom introduced the prepaid smart meters to improve its cash flow amid concerns of inaccurate billing and to improve revenue collection.

"The Soweto township project started in 2012, commencing with Chiawelo [as a pilot].

"During its early stages, [residents] were resistant. So far, we have installed 49000 and our target was initially 180000 meters," Mokwena said.

"Orlando East is one of the areas showing resistance to the meters, despites attempts to help the community."

The petitions hearings were hosted by parliament's portfolio committees on public enterprises and cooperative governance and traditional affairs in Diepkloof yesterday.

By June last year, Eskom had improved its revenue collection for Soweto residents - excluding large and small power users, and bulk suppliers - by 48%, or by R39- million.

MPs blamed Eskom's snail pace in connecting customers to the grid on an ineffective communication campaign.

Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, the committee chairperson, said: "Eskom will need to revisit the intentions of prepaid meters and look into the advantages and disadvantages. .

"The intentions of Eskom are ideal and good but its poor communications is one of the key issues to the meter problems."

Eskom has offered indigent customers who agree to the prepaid meters 100 kilowatts of free electricity per month. Despite this, Mokwena said customers refuse to convert.

Mokwena said residents who convert could get their unpaid bills frozen for a period of three years. However, she said there was no guarantee that their bills would be written off. - The Legislature Monitor

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