Warning about “winter with no lights” for major South African neighbourhood

Johannesburg power utility City Power has noted with concern the lack of smart electricity meters in many households in the Alexandra township.

As smart meters are used to monitor and manage electricity usage, the utility warned that residents in some parts of the township could face a winter with no lights if they don’t use electricity moderately.

According to an EWN report, this warning applies to residents of Alexandra Phases 1 and 2. The power utility said its network in the area is already constrained.

City Power’s warning comes as the power utility is dealing with a significant number of outages in the township, caused by an overloaded network.

“Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these outages and stabilise the network,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.

“We urge our customers to remain patient and avoid taking part in disruptive activities that could result in further delays in our restoration efforts.”

City Power launched its smart prepaid meter project in Alexandra in September 2023.

“This project aims to curb the high rate of non-payment for electricity services in areas like Alexandra,” said councillor Jack Sekwaila.

At the time, he revealed that only 2% of prepaid meters in Alexandra were vending electricity, indicating a high prevalence of illegally connected meters or residents buying units from ghost vendors.

By illegally connecting households, businesses and residents in South Africa, local electricity grids are put under significant strain, resulting in frequent outages due to network overloading.

In June 2024, state-owned power utility Eskom revealed that it had replaced 400 transformers damaged by network overloading since the beginning of the year.

It said most overloads stemmed from electricity theft. Eskom added that around 2,500 transformers were being frequently overloaded and at risk of failing, with just under 1,000 units isolated and awaiting replacement.

“Overloaded transformers as a result of electricity theft present a serious risk to human life,” said Agnes Mlambo, Eskom’s acting group executive for distribution.

“The time, funds and manpower used to replace these transformers could have been utilised to improve the reliability of our network, electrify more communities, improve the experience of our paying customers, and create more jobs.”

Stacks of illegal transformers disconnected in Diepsloot

In August 2024, Eskom, in a joint operation with various law enforcement agencies, disconnected over 35 illegally connected transformers in Diepsloot.

It said the operation formed part of its efforts to reclaim its network and alleviate strain on electricity grids, adding that these illegal connections significantly impact its financial situation.

It revealed that, in the 2022/23 financial year, it suffered non-technical losses of around R5 billion from illegal connections, meter bypasses, and other electricity-related crimes.

“Illegally-connected transformers not only destabilise the network, causing frequent supply interruptions, extended outages and substandard service for paying customers, but also pose significant safety risks to Eskom technicians working on the system,” it added.

Speaking about the disconnection operation in Diepsloot, Eskom group executive for distribution, Monde Bala, said the illegal connections were removed in Diepsloot Extension 6.

He thanked the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, Red Ants, Eskom Protective Services, and private security firms for their assistance.

“These efforts are crucial in safeguarding Eskom’s assets, ensuring public safety, and mitigating the severe energy losses caused by illegal connections, meter bypasses, and acts of theft and vandalism,” said Bala.

Community leaders had alledged that Eskom employees were involved in selling the illegal transformers, which the power utility said it was investigating.

“We will update community leaders on the outcomes of these investigations once they are concluded,” Eskom added.