Soweto residents line up to have their prepaid meters recoded. Picture for illustration purpose: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen
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.
Those in the queue at an Eskom pop-up centre in Orlando East Community Hall said the man simply collapsed after waiting in the long queue.
“We just saw him fall down. We thought he fainted but unfortunately, he died on the spot. It happened around 4am. Just 20 minutes after he arrived, he collapsed,” an eyewitness told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
He said everyone in the area was shaken by the incident.
Police said no investigation into the death has been initiated.
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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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