Residents wants GMM to stop the smart meter installation
Doctor Mayisela, chairman of the Zimeleni Disabled Association, said the municipality must immediately stop the rollout of these meters and first explain the pros and cons thereof.
The Zimeleni Disabled Association wants the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) to stop installing electricity smart meters in households until a proper consultation is done.
Doctor Mayisela, the organisation’s chairperson, said the municipality must immediately stop the rollout of these meters and first explain the pros and cons thereof.
“We as the community have issues with these meters because the municipality never consulted us about their advantages and disadvantages.
“As a result, pensioners, the unemployed and other low-income households can no longer afford electricity.
Mayisela believes the new electricity units consumed electricity faster compared to the old meters.”
According to him, it is unfair to disadvantaged residents and the unemployed as the cost of living is high.
Mayisela also said members of his organisation believe installing the new smart meters is unnecessary and a burden on the poor.
The municipal communications department said they installed prepaid meters for electricity consumers, both large and small power users.
The municipality has been experiencing serious challenges regarding electricity losses because of issues such as illegal connections.
The department said the losses amounted to millions of rands in revenue annually. The new smart meters will secure revenue for the municipality and bolster its financial position.
It will also enable the municipality to free up resources to improve service delivery. GMM said some benefits of the new smart meters include consumers having control over their consumption and ease of access to purchases.
This will improve customer service through the elimination of queries related to electricity billing. Illegal connections can now swiftly be identified and there are also job creation and small business opportunities arising from the system installation and operation of vending systems.
GMM pleads with communities to embrace this new technology. This initiative is part of the municipality’s vision of being “A Model City of Excellence”.
