Man reportedly dies while waiting to update Eskom prepaid meter

Hundreds of Soweto residents were left “traumatised” on Thursday after a man reportedly died in line while waiting to update his prepaid meter. 

The deadline for prepaid electricity users to upgrade their meters is midnight on Sunday, 24 November.

According to SABC News, those in the queue at an Eskom office said the man simply collapsed after waiting in the long queue.

Police reportedly told the broadcaster that no investigation into the death had been initiated.

The Citizen did reach out to Johannesburg Emergency Service, the Gauteng Provincial Government and Eskom. They are yet to respond.

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Prepaid meters

With the Sunday deadline fast approaching, more than two million people have yet to upgrade their meters.

During a media briefing on Wednesday, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa warned that no extension would be given, saying those who failed to upgrade key revision number 1 (KRN) on their prepaid meters by Sunday would be left without power and forced to pay to replace their meters.

He said the 4.9 million customers who had upgraded their meters were subsidising the remaining 2.1 million.

“The victims are not the 2.1 million people, it’s the 4.9 million. The great majority of the 2.1 million people have not bought electricity in the past six months.

“Go to houses, the meter is there, the lights are on – ask yourself how is that possible?

“The only possible response is that they have bypassed and I know of municipalities that have been fighting this battle,” said Ramokgopa.

Eskom has more than 6.9-million prepaid clients and said customers could pay up to R12 000 for a replacement meter.

Additional reporting by Thando Nondywana

* This is a developing story

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