Electricity meter box shutdown leaves woman in the dark for months
"The electricians told me they would come back as they need to collect the circuit breakers at their offices, but until now they haven't returned. I have reported the problem to the metro offices, but nothing has been done,"
A 53-year-old woman from Ramaphosa informal settlement is pleading with the Department of Energy to assist with her electricity meter box woes.
Priscilla Minnaar said she has been living in the dark since April after her electricity meter box unexpectedly shutdown.
According to Minnaar, she didn’t buy electricity in 2016 due to an illegal connection.
“I was caught by officials from the Department of Energy who were doing a site visit in our area. They took my meter box and told me I must pay a penalty fee at the metro offices before they can reinstall the meter box.”
Minnaar said she didn’t have electricity for the entire 2017 and most of 2018 because she didn’t have the penalty fee until November 2018.
“When I paid up, officials reconnected the electricity and gave me a prepaid top-up card. We had electricity until April.
“From March, the power would go on and off until April when we experienced a total power failure. I reported the matter at the municipal offices at the Boksburg Civic Centre and eventually electricians came to check the meter box.”
Minnaar claims she was told the previous officials who reconnected the electricity allegedly illegally connected the cables to a nearby pole where there wasn’t a circuit breaker at that power box.
The Advertiser is still waiting for comment from the metro.
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