Eskom to Soweto: pay for electricity, or be cut off

Eskom has offered Soweto residents a deal where it offers to negotiate on their outstanding bills if they install prepaid meters and start paying for electricity. This is according to a report in the City Press.

The City Press quoted the Gauteng General Manager of Eskom, Bandile Jack, as saying that they are considering wiping the debt of users who agree to install prepaid meters.

Soweto residents owe Eskom a staggering R8 billion in unpaid electricity bills, Jack told the newspaper.

This report follows a decision by Eskom to cut electricity supply to millions of Soweto residents in early May.

Large parts of Soweto were plunged into darkness on Friday 8 May after the parastatal disconnected services to the township.

The power outage in Soweto comes on the back of protests by Orlando West residents over the utility’s decision to install prepaid electricity meters.

[Also see: Why Eskom cut Soweto power]

News24 reported earlier this week that pre-paid split meters were introduced in areas like Soweto because people were tampering with meter boxes and stealing electricity.

A split meter is divided into a pad put into each person’s home, while the rest of the device is in a tamper-proof box on the pavement or on a pole outside the house.

Eskom senior energy trading engineer, Rogeema Kenny, said that revenue losses amounted to 82% among 3 788 customers in Chiawelo, Soweto.

After the split meters and tamper-proof enclosures were installed, revenue loss fell to 14%.

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