This is a monumental undertaking, and many residents are weary about how ‘smart’ these meters are and why the municipality deems it necessary to replace the old ones.
According to the Communications Manager, Peter Moloto, implementing the ‘Smart Meters’ is essential to keep Bela-Bela Municipality up-to-date with the newest technology. Times are changing and technology can now keep track of almost everything.
According to Moloto, the ‘Smart Meters’ will make billing easier, fast track fault loggings and complaints, curb theft and unauthorised electricity usage, and be much more user-friendly overall.
It has also been established that many existing meters are ‘non-vending’ machines in South Africa that have either been illegally bypassed, are not in use, or users are buying illegal tokens from ‘ghost’ vendors.
In this aspect, to curb theft and fraud, replacing old meters is a good way to pick up meters that amount to financial losses for municipalities.
According to Moloto, one of the companies tasked with the supplying of the ‘Smart Meter’ products for Bela-Bela, is Hexing Electrical South Africa (Pty) LTD. This is a company affiliated with
Hexing Electrical in China, and billed on their website as ‘the leading manufacturer of precision electrical meters in South Africa’.
The Hexing group of companies has a notorious history as a service provider, not only in South Africa but all across the world. During research Die Pos has come across several newspaper articles and publication headlines that seem disconcerting:
‘How Kenya Power bosses ‘fixed’ Sh6b tender for Chinese firm’ (The Standard – Kenya – 2017)
‘Smart meter contract raises eyebrows as residents fork out more for electricity’ (City Press – SA– 2018)
‘Who’s behind ‘R285 million money-back-guaranteed prepaid meter contract?’ (City Press – SA – 2020)
‘India to blacklist China’s PT Hexing, will debar it from other government contracts’ (Mint Financial Publication –India – 2020)
‘Meters are not certified by SABS’ (The Lowvelder – SA – 2020)
‘Prepaid metering: A case of a noble idea with a flawed execution’ (TimesLive – SA – 2022)
‘ACC sues three West Zone Power Distribution Company officials for embezzling Tk33.40cr’ (United News of Bangladesh – 2023).
All of these reports seemingly implicate either the Hexing group, or their affiliates with large-scale irregularities with tenders, and or contracts with municipalities but their operations remain dubious and need to be properly investigated.
The other companies tasked with supplying municipalities throughout the country with ‘Smart Meter’ services are African Metering Solutions, Blue Label – Cigicell, Conlog, Isandiso Pipelines & Engineering, Landis & Gyr, MTN, and Vodacom.
If potential corruption and irregularities with the new ‘Smart Meters’ are put to the side, residents now also have to live with the threats from the Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, that government will remotely be able to switch off consumers’ geysers and stoves if they deem it necessary. “These meters will enable household geysers to be remotely controlled from a smartphone.
The government will set recommended times for South Africans to switch off their geysers. If they forget to turn them off, the government will send a push notification as a reminder and potentially turn off your geyser remotely,” explained Ramokgopa to eNCA News as reported in the Daily Investor on 9 June 2023. He added that South Africans should take responsibility and do this out of ‘genuine commitment to resolving the problem of load-shedding’.
Some Hexing meters have already been installed in Bela-Bela, and complaints have surfaced with loading vouchers and difficulty in operations, with some machines shutting down while credit is still available. Cllrs Jee Dee Cloete of the FF+ and Andries van der Heyde of the DA, have confirmed that they have to deal with complaints about the operation of these specific ‘smart meters’ regularly.
Controversial or not, this conversion is set to be implemented by hook or by crook, and ordinary South-African citizens will bear the brunt of the responsibility for Escom’s failures, that were caused through no fault of the paying consumers.
At the time of going to press no comment was received from Hexing Electrical SA, on several enquiries made earlier by Die Pos, about their track record. Die Pos stays committed and will do follow-ups to keep Bela-Bela residents in the loop.
