City Power has noticed a spike in the theft of electricity meters in residential areas, especially in the West Rand and is appealing to residents to be more vigilant.
The utility’s spokesperson Virgil James said they were appealing to residents to refrain from buying electricity meters from unauthorised sellers because they would ultimately be supporting the illegal trade of stolen meters and ‘sustaining the illicit trade of fraudulent equipment on the black market’.
James also warned that the utility would start conducting random audits of meters across Joburg and households whose meters are found to have been procured illegally will face criminal prosecution, James said.
“Customers are encouraged to be alert of meter theft and other forms of infrastructural vandalism on City Power property because this hampers the utility’s ability to provide accurate billing, quality services to the residents of Johannesburg and contributes to increased tariffs and prices for ordinary South Africans.
“Besides the cost of replacing the infrastructure and damaged equipment, it interferes with the delivery of other essential services,” he said.
You are always encouraged to check the technicians’ credentials before allowing them into your property.
“Technicians must have a City Power identity card when on duty. If in doubt, call 011 490 7911/00/504/553 for verification,” James said.
If you suspect your prepaid meter to be stolen:
- Report the incident to the local police and request a case number
- Once the case number is obtained, call City of Johannesburg’s Call Centre at 0860 562 874 to log a call for the stolen meter, where you will get a reference number
- The stolen meter will then be removed from the system and a technician will be dispatched to replace the meter.
Read: No more free water for Joburg residents
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