‘We have been coming here for days’: Residents rush to try upgrade prepaid meters

Prepaid electricity customers from Soweto who queued for hours to meet Eskom’s deadline to upgrade their meters have urged the power utility to extend its Sunday deadline.

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

Portia Letlape, of Bramfisherville phase 1, was among the panicking residents at the Eskom offices in Zola.

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“We are here because we do not want to be switched off. We are willing to pay for electricity consumption and comply, even though we don’t have the money, But we need information in time which we were not given.

“We have been coming here for days, they always cut off the queues before we get help,” she said.

“The fault lies with them for their poor planning. We are worried that they will now charge us ridiculous amounts.”

No extension for prepaid meter deadline

During a media briefing yesterday, 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.

ALSO READ: What you need to know about resetting your prepaid meter: 5 questions answered

Residents sleep outside Eskom office

However, many like Letlape, blamed the utility for what he called poor planning, service and coordination.

Brown Ndala said he slept outside the Eskom office in Zola, Soweto, to have his meter recoded.

“I was here from 10pm, but other people have been here since 4pm. The situation is disorganised; there’s no one managing the process or enforcing controls.

“People have been standing in line for over 12 hours.”

Thokozile Madela, 86, from Emdeni was outraged: “My hands ache from arthritis, I’ve had a knee operation and I haven’t taken my medication. Why didn’t they create a separate system for the elderly and sick pensioners?”

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

WATCH: Residents line up outside Eskom’s offices in Zola, Soweto, to upgrade their prepaid meters