Simple way to stop electricity theft

[Jim Powell]

Easy way to reduce electricity theft. 1. install smart meters, prepaid or post paid, 2. The constant readings are sent to the reader at the transformer supplying the meters. A comparison is made and and if the difference is below a pre-set %, cut off. Also prosecute those involved in the theft of electricity

 

[PaulGherkin]

Unfortunately Mr Powell, Eskom REFUSE to install a prepaid meter at my premises, this has been ongoing for four years now, over two applications.

 

[UB40]

How will this work when people like @RedViking have by passed their pre paid meter?

Have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter? (poll)

With the rise in electricity costs, living costs and further unaffordable increases coming soon, have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter?

mybroadband.co.za

 

[Next Thing]

How will this work when people like @RedViking have by passed their pre paid meter?

Have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter? (poll)

With the rise in electricity costs, living costs and further unaffordable increases coming soon, have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter?

mybroadband.co.za

If %payment for a suburb is below ( for arguments sake ) 50% , disconnect the whole suburb

 

[UB40]

If %payment for a suburb is below ( for arguments sake ) 50% , disconnect the whole suburb

So punish an entire suburb coz some people are stealing?

 

[Agent_Smith]

How will this work when people like @RedViking have by passed their pre paid meter?

Have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter? (poll)

With the rise in electricity costs, living costs and further unaffordable increases coming soon, have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter?

mybroadband.co.za

He needs all that electricity to keep that coffee grounds sweatshop running.

 

[Next Thing]

So punish an entire suburb coz some people are stealing?

Not some ... 50% or more.... Let them necklace each other to get their lights back on

 

[Flanders]

Solar users? In the dog box?

 

[The Darkness]

Make a 5 year minimum mandatory prison sentence for theft of electricty

 

[Curt889]

Make it wireless than don't give them the wifi key. Problem solved.


Along as electricity works in such a basic way there's no way to stop someone tapping into a wire

 

[Tomtomtom]

Easy way to reduce electricity theft. 1. install smart meters, prepaid or post paid, 2. The constant readings are sent to the reader at the transformer supplying the meters. A comparison is made and and if the difference is below a pre-set %, cut off.

Don't underestimate the thieves. The transformer can be bypassed as well. Given how rarely we have "fried thief" headlines vs theft headlines I assume many of these guys are trained linesmen.

Also prosecute those involved in the theft of electricity

That's the cheapest way I reckon.

Here's something else I don't understand. If you've been given a meter, it remains property of Eskom or the municipality, right. So they should reserve the right to inspect said meter. Then, they can also see who is making purchases. So if the meter disappears and never makes another purchase, why not make a quick site visit?

I think the real problem here is that not everybody is actually convinced that Eskom does have a legitimate right to make money. What we feel when SANRAL tolls roads is what a lot of people feel when Eskom tries to collect. But if it's not perceived as theft the way a stolen goat is theft, then we will never get anywhere.

 

[neoprema]

Easy way to reduce electricity theft. 1. install smart meters, prepaid or post paid, 2. The constant readings are sent to the reader at the transformer supplying the meters. A comparison is made and and if the difference is below a pre-set %, cut off. Also prosecute those involved in the theft of electricity

What about in the townships?

A few years ago our domestic told us, the chief/warden whatever you call them of her block in Diepsloot said when they see an Eskom van coming in to do something or the employees working on removing illegal connections or meters they must beat them with pangas.

 

[wizardofid]

Make a 5 year minimum mandatory prison sentence for theft of electricty

Nope. Let them do some thing useful, give them a criminal record, after which you force them to do 1000 hours of community service. clean up the streets, fill potholes, clean rivers ect, ect. You can still give them meals while on duty and pay them min wage, and it would still work out cheaper than the 11 grand a month it would cost to house them in a prison.

It has been made clear already the threat of prison isn't going to work, you might as well get use out of them. Well in an ideal world it would work else where in the world, but here the guards and supervisors would be equally corrupt and lazy to monitor and accurately keep record of their community service.

Or just bring back the chain gangs and hard manual labor....

 

[Oldfut]

In a "normal", law abiding, well policed state there would be many remedies but ANC SA is not near that. One of my contracts was near an informal settlement and the street transformer is like a hedgehog with illegal connections, the site security fence barbed wire being used as one of the conductors for one. The site electrician said that the settlement had a "minister of electricity" who would connect you up for then R50/month; pay or kak.

The illegal connections were cut now and then by the electrical department with very heavy security but would be reinstated within a day or two, no one was ever charged. I don't think they even bother to do this anymore. It is anarchy.

 

[TedLasso]

Make a 5 year minimum mandatory prison sentence for theft of electricty

So then we must now also pay to house and feed them too. C

How about branding them or something. At least they may still be able to work - definitely better than cutting limbs as some other countries like to do

 

[Curt889]

In a "normal", law abiding, well policed state there would be many remedies but ANC SA is not near that. One of my contracts was near an informal settlement and the street transformer is like a hedgehog with illegal connections, the site security fence barbed wire being used as one of the conductors for one. The site electrician said that the settlement had a "minister of electricity" who would connect you up for then R50/month; pay or kak.

The illegal connections were cut now and then by the electrical department with very heavy security but would be reinstated within a day or two, no one was ever charged. I don't think they even bother to do this anymore. It is anarchy.

I went on a few of those raids a long time ago. Got so out of hand that we had to evacuate, the mob was so violent that even the police escort got scared. They were lobbing stones from atop a hill like mortars at us

 

[Priapus]

If %payment for a suburb is below ( for arguments sake ) 50% , disconnect the whole suburb

And if most users are on solar? Then what?

The only way to stop this is to prosecute every case and have long jail sentences.

 

[longboy]

How will this work when people like @RedViking have by passed their pre paid meter?

Have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter? (poll)

With the rise in electricity costs, living costs and further unaffordable increases coming soon, have you bypassed or considered bypassing your electricity meter?

mybroadband.co.za

I saved R50k in a year this way. Used that R50k to put a deposit on a Suzuki Super Carry!

 

[The_MAC]

The illegal connections were cut now and then by the electrical department with very heavy security but would be reinstated within a day or two, no one was ever charged. I don't think they even bother to do this anymore. It is anarchy.

Sounds to me like the cost of disconnecting/policing the areas might be more than just letting them be..

 

[Next Thing]

And if most users are on solar? Then what?

The only way to stop this is to prosecute every case and have long jail sentences.

Nothing to do with solar. You would still be paying water and rates. Also if there are eskom connection fees those would be paid as well.
And most users are not on solar. That is the reality