Ward 108 councillor Deborah Francisco has accused City Power of deviating from a plan agreed upon for the installation of smart meters in Alexandra.
She made these comments in an interview following her refusal to allow the power utility’s technicians to install a smart meter at her residency in Alexandra on August 15 as part of a township-wide rollout of the meters to ensure that residents pay for the energy they use.
Read more: Ward 108 residents express reservations with level of service from Alex SAPS
Francisco objected to a request by technicians to install the meter, claiming there was no proper consultation between her and City Power. “I am not against the installation of the meter but I am not happy with how it was being executed.”
She asked the technicians why they were starting the installation with her. “I feel I am being targeted when everybody in the ward does not pay for electricity,” she said.
Clarifying her stance on the matter, she said this was not what the parties had agreed upon with City Power. “We never agreed on meters starting with councillors but that they should start with defaulting businesses, institutions, and organisations.
“At the City Power stakeholders meeting on July 25, we agreed the rollout of the smart meters would prioritise business owners and landlords with illegal connections, then the community would follow thereafter.
“Starting with the ward councillors was not part of our agreement, which is why I feel I am being targeted. I even told them during the meeting that before they come to install the meter at my home, they should start by addressing the electricity issues in my ward,” Francisco said.
Also read: Cllr Deborah Francisco shuts door to smart meters in Alex
Francisco highlighted the ongoing electricity issues in her ward, noting that many residents still use outdated infrastructure.
“When we faced outages, we reported them to City Power, only to hear promises of resolution that often went unfulfilled. We are often left without electricity for days, forcing many to resort to bridging,” she said.
Francisco revealed that since becoming a councillor in 2011, she was promised R1m for electrical infrastructure improvements in her ward, funds that never materialised as they were, allegedly, allocated to another councillor.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the decision to begin the installations with councillors was made to demonstrate leadership and to encourage wider acceptance of the new system.
“During the meeting, it was agreed that the smart meter installation project was going to start with the councillors (Cllr Ngwenya, Cllr Mothupi, Cllr Mavhona, and Cllr Francisco) thereafter, businesses and the community at large.
“Councillors were to lead by example in their respective constituencies, to demonstrate leadership and encourage community participation during the rollout of the smart meter installation project. This approach is expected to motivate residents to embrace the new technology and its benefits,” Mangena said.
Mangena said during the meeting, Francisco objected to the decision made and insisted that City Power should start with businesses.
Regarding Francisco’s comments on previous funding promises, Mangena provided clarity. “The R1m projects Francisco is referring to were for normalisation and infrastructure in Ward 108, probably before 2021.
“Our stakeholder management department has confirmed that the project was budgeted for about R10m for specific wards, and not only for Ward 108. However, it was retracted when a new municipal administration came into power,” Mangena concluded.
Follow us on our Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok pages. Join our WhatsApp group for any story ideas you may have.
Related article: Register your children early, urges Cllr Raphadu
