Electricity users cut off and hit with R73,000 scam fines in South Africa’s capital
Several residents in the City of Tshwane recently reported that their electricity was unlawfully cut off following false allegations of meter tampering.
However, the metro said it suspected the activities may be the work of a criminal syndicate rather than its own officials.
The popular Pretoria East community group “Eks van die Ooste” was flooded with complaints about the issue in recent weeks.
The disconnections appeared to be focused on sectional title schemes, with the perpetrators alleging that customers had tampered with or bypassed their meters without providing any proof of such action.
One complex’s caretaker said she was the only one with access to the boxes containing meters that were removed.
Another resident said people who removed meters in her complex accused those they cut off of stealing electricity.
She explained that her home and those of her neighbours had solar power, which is why their electricity consumption from Tshwane was low.
In response to the reports, Tshwane metro officials said that a syndicate could be behind the incidents and maintained that the individuals removing the meters were posing as municipal officials.
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo told Rekord that enforcement aimed at identifying illegal connections was guided by structured systems.
He explained that the metro conducted a low-buy or no-buy analysis to determine where its revenue protection teams must undertake meter audits to detect electricity theft.
These teams must have job cards and must issue a tamper notice to the specific resident before executing a disconnection.
The customer’s account is debited with a tampering fee, and they must then settle the fee and request a reconnection.
The Democratic Alliance in Tshwane has seen letters instructing residents to pay amounts ranging from R43,000 to R78,000 at the city’s Hatfield electricity office.
Based on the complaints MyBroadband saw from residents, R73,000 appears to be the most common “penalty”.
Victims offered reconnection after paying a R3,000 bribe
The DA said that some people who queried the amounts or demanded tampering proof were contacted via WhatsApp by a suspicious individual who offered to make the fine go away for a payment of R3,000.
Mashigo told Rekord that the city would not send any messages to customers offering discounts on their fines.
“Any customer who receives such communication should report it to the South African Police Service or Tshwane Metro Police Department,” Mashigo said.
If this were indeed the work of a criminal syndicate, customers who arrived at the Hatfield electricity office would likely be told there was no issue with their account and that they had been scammed.
The perpetrators may not intend for people to go through the effort of visiting the office in the first place and instead rely on the egregious amounts to elicit an antagonistic customer response.
This creates an opportunity for scammers to contact residents and offer a much cheaper alternative to restore their meters. It is unclear how the alleged syndicate obtained people’s phone numbers.
The DA also pointed out that the methods used in the disconnections were against the city’s municipal bylaws.
Firstly, these require that officials must be able to produce pictures of the tampered meter upon request of the resident.
Secondly, the fine must be levied on the resident’s account, with the amount approved and gazetted as part of the city’s budget.
“What we are seeing bears all the hallmarks of a potential coordinated scheme designed to exploit residents,” the DA said.
The Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa has also advised people accused of tampering or bypassing their meters to request a formal written inspection report from their utility.
They can also obtain an independent assessment from a suitably registered electrical contractor to dispute the disconnection and fine at the utility’s offices or in court.
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