WITH this letter I would like to inform people of the newest thing that the EMM (Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality) is forcing on residents.
On Sunday, December 18, 2016, we received a letter in the mailbox informing us that engineers and project managers were appointed to our house to change the old electricity meter and install a prepaid meter, and we have to ensure access to our house.
We were not at home at the time so they could not get in. Thinking it was an error they made with the address, as we did not apply for a prepaid meter, we went to their offices in Swartkoppies Road to inform them of the mistake.
Much to our surprise we were told it was no mistake and that it is a project they are busy with to change all the meters to prepaid in the whole of Ekurhuleni. There isn’t going to be any meter readers anymore and they have decided to change everything to prepaid.
No one in my community is aware of this or want prepaid meters. How can they just decide to do this without even asking anyone involved nor giving any indication that this is going to happen? We haven’t received any indication of this whatsoever – nothing in the newspaper and no notifications in the mail or anywhere else.
While standing in the queue to be helped, three people were in front of us, all fighting with the person behind the counter, all about the new prepaid meters. One guy said that his prepaid meter worked for five minutes and then he had no electricity. He had to get an electrician out, paid him to get this meter to work again for a short period of time and then he stood there with this meter in his hand and said it does not get a signal. He paid the electrician for nothing, just to hear that outside electricians could not do the work, he had to get the municipality electrician out. Another guy was fighting because he bought R100 electricity and got only R70 worth and it was not the first time that this had happened.
We told the official that we do not want prepaid meters and that we are prepared to phone in the readings or even bring it in to their offices but he said we have to talk to the engineers and see what they say as this will be happening to all the houses in Alberton, and the of whole Ekurhuleni.
I feel this is wrong. Who are they to just decide for the people in their own homes and not even give any notice?
It feels to me as if they are already deciding what is going to happen with your property and you do not have a say in the matter.
Willem van Antwerp
The RECORD asked the EMM for comment:
“Sadly, we are unable to accommodate customers who feel that they must remain on the old credit/conventional meter system. New conventional meter stock has not been sourced since the beginning of 2012, hence there simply is no conventional meter to replace your old or faulty meter,” said Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
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