Rich people part of South Africa's electricity theft problem

TheChamp said:
I agree it should simply be a matter between those who can afford to pay and those who can't.

And Eskom can pursue criminal charges on top of that R6k perhaps a criminal record would be a deterrent enough.
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I'd go one step further and charge them with infrastructure damage due to unmetered consumption with a fat mandatory jail period.
 
You have across the income spectrum people who are inclined to steal and be mischievous.

In the higher income band people can pay but choose to be amoral, the temptation to get away with a crime which they are unlikely to get caught, some just want to stick it to government. When people hear that everyone is stealing they also want to cash-in FOMO.
 
Vorastra said:
Pretty sure these are just people who just want to rack up large electric bills and not pay for them.
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You have to get into the heart of beast which is man and understand that sometimes they get to the misplaced and destructive believe that if others (the bottom 20%) don't pay for electricity neither will they. These are your high testosterone, Cluster B psychology, Ford Ranger types of men, "

Your point is moot, they want to rack up ridiculously high consumption, that is a given, the question is what is the behavioral motivation. In some instances we have these inward looking wise-guys/chancers who what to stick it to government for their failings to prevent the bottom 20% from stealing electricity, "if they won't pay, I won't also pay" their solution is to steal electricity themselves which is M.A.D
 
Vorastra said:
Pretty sure these are just people who just want to rack up large electric bills and not pay for them.
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Calkem said:
You have to get into the heart of beast which is man and understand that sometimes they get to the misplaced and destructive believe that if others (the bottom 20%) don't pay for electricity neither will they. These are your high testosterone, Cluster B psychology, Ford Ranger types of men, "

Your point is moot, they want to rack up ridiculously high consumption, that is a given, the question is what is the behavioral motivation. In some instances we have these inward looking wise-guys/chancers who what to stick it to government for their failings to prevent the bottom 20% from stealing electricity, "if they won't pay, I won't also pay" their solution is to steal electricity themselves which is M.A.D
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End of the day, it's just a rationalisation or pretext to act in such a way, an attempt to disguise such as a "principled stand".
 
And what of CoJ starting to rob people. I am hearing of more and more complex's and affluent households where crazy high bills suddenly appear with no possibility the amounts are real. However if you don't pay they cut your power. Talking to them to fix it is an exercise in futility. CoJ is starting to prey on people who do pay their bill. If you don't pay a bribe the bill remains and you either pay the ridiculous amount which is essentially extortion, or see your power cut. There is just about nothing you can legally do. Its a wall of corrupt bureaucracy.

Even if you don't get extorted in this way we all know that a very large percentage of South African's do not pay for electricity just because they live in a low cost area. Instead of the government fixing the underlying problem's of idiotic labour, and business laws they just keep rising the price of power to the few who do pay to subsidize those who don't. That is also not fair. So if people decide to do what millions of others are doing its a bit rich to call that "unfair" and label them thieves just because they are sick of the unjust additional taxation by a government that clearly has zero ability to actually help the poor. Always a finger pointing at the few tax payers instead of this article actually pointing at the real problem. Our government.
 
Cius said:
So you pay your TV license and were up to date with your E-Tolls?
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I will take the 5th on that. People's roguery is generally only limited by the risk and consequences of being caught and punished. The lower chance there is of this, the more crime; electricity theft included.

But looking at the case for solar it is still solid it would seem. Rising prices, the risk of phantom billing, cuts dues to theft, poor maintenance etc even though Eskom is relatively stable for some uncertain period and finally, the price of solar either stable or reducing.

Time to get quotes; again.
 
Yes we have all seen the cadre living the high life at our expense, the ANC are indeed the scum of the earth.
 
Cius said:
. That is also not fair. So if people decide to do what millions of others are doing its a bit rich to call that "unfair" and label them thieves just because they are sick of the unjust additional taxation by a government
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God I hope my children dont end up like a fu*k up like you
 
Calkem said:
God I hope my children dont end up like a fu*k up like you
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I pay for my power. I even pay my (rare) speeding tickets unlike many South African's. I try be a very honest person. However when it is obvious that something is becoming so inherently corrupt that any contribution towards it is just fueling the problem I take a stand. I stopped paying TV licenses after Hlaudi was appointed in protest of the blatant looting. I also refused to pay e-tolls (unless a judge ordered me to do so). Civil disobedience is about the only tool the honest have to show the government there are lines they cannot cross.

The reason our power is so expensive is all the looting that was allowed at Eskom running the debt up together with the blatant mismanagement of the state utility. Eskom is now hiking power prices to insanely high levels. The poor have long not been able to afford power, and we subsidize them. Not much we can do about that. My sympathy is very much with the poor in this country.

Now the middle class, especially the lower middle class are having to choose between power and food as their power bills are through the roof so some of them are also bypassing meters. Is it their fault the power is so expensive? No. Its the ANC's fault, all the looting, corruption, and mismanagement. All I am saying is that electricity is going the way of e-tolls fast. Its getting to such ridiculous levels that civil disobedience will explode the way it did with TV licenses and e-tolls. People will say enough is enough and take the law into their own hands as they are sick of being milked when it WAS NOT THEIR FAULT!

Where it ends is an ugly place. In the mean time I continue to pay all my utility bills but I can see a time where SA as a whole just refuses to pay for electricity anymore in protest for what the government has done to power in this country. It will be bad if they do, but I can see it happening.

Add to that the way CoJ is now starting to fleece and extort people with these insanely high bills with threats to disconnect them and people might just get violent (as has been the case in places like Soweto for some time). As per some previous articles this is all part of the utility death spiral. The more they hike prices, the more people stop paying or bypassing, the more they hike prices to the few remaining people, etc. Vicious circle. Even you will reach a point where you will stop paying. The rich will do so via installing solar and generators. The poor won't have that choice and will just bypass the meter., or refuse to pay and as a community attack anyone who comes to disconnect them like Soweto does. The article that started all this just annoyed me as it nitpicks on a few who yest can afford their power and yes for now should be paying without acknowledging that a lot of people are frustrated for very legit reasons about why their power bill is so high.
 
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