For the residents of Newcastle, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The problem is, many feel they are paying too much to keep those lights burning.
A sharp increase in water and electricity bills over the last two months has residents up in arms and signing petitions for the second time in a year.
The petition, which calls for prepaid electricity meters for every resident, is currently circulating and a Facebook page has been created, Prepaid Meters for Newcastle.
One resident, Marietha Senekal, has been vocal on social media after her account spiked drastically.
“In one month, I used almost 2 000 units of electricity more than the previous month,” she said. “My water bill also deviates. One month its 66 kilolitres and the next month it’s less than 20. I do have a swimming pool, but I’ve kept track and the account never matches to the month I had to add water to it.”
Earlier this year, Mrs Senekal was forced to drain the pool for repairs. When she refilled it, some 20 kilolitres later, she kept a watchful eye over her municipal accounts. According to her, the account never reflected the 20 kilolitres the next month or the subsequent month after that.
“I dug open my water meter with a spoon, because my spade would not fit inside the small opening,” she said. “It was covered in deep sand. I don’t know exactly how the municipality was taking any readings.”
Mrs Senekal also lamented the difficult format of the bills, and was confused as to some of the charges labelled ‘journal’ on the bill.
“To cap it all off, the electricity meters are even harder to read. There are some missing completely from the box,” she said. “I really don’t know how they have taken readings for our home.”
Mayor, Afzul Rehman responded to queries regarding issues raised by residents, many similar to those of Mrs Senekal.
“We only charge what people use,” he said. “The budget is an open and transparent document. People are welcome to go and read it and see our income versus expenditure on electricity and water. There is NO conspiracy theory.”
“We are in the process of purchasing electronic meter-reading equipment to remove any chance of human error in the process. The old type prepaid meters have proven to be susceptible to fraud and we will be installing smart prepaid systems. We are part of a national pilot project to test the system before we roll out a very expensive project,” he continued.
He urged residents to raise issues regarding accounts with staff at the enquiry desk at the municipality, so those problems could be verified.
“It’s a simple use/pay principle,” he said.
While residents struggle to find the extra money to pay for what many have described as ‘exorbitant’ bills, only time will tell whether the smart prepaid meters hold the answer to the woes of a community.
