Principal allegedly assaulted outside of school by City Power official removing prepayment meter

Hasty municipal handiwork resulted in a physical altercation outside a school, on August 23.

Principal of Dios Los Ninos School (DLN) Leonie Leppich was notified of a commotion outside her premises around 9:00. Thinking the hooting was coming from further down the street, Leppich walked outside her property to inspect and found two City Power employees disturbing her electricity meter. Confused as to why the employees were attempting to remove the meter, Leppich asked for an explanation.

The school comprises two adjoined properties and Leppich has two prepayment meters servicing each of the properties. The officials said that no electricity had been loaded on the one-meter since February, one that services the property which houses a series of classrooms, so were removing it. Leppich implored the officials to stop, explaining that she last loaded a bulk purchase of electricity at the beginning of the year but had used the credits sparingly.

Leppich invited the officials inside so that she could show them receipts but was met with aggression. Declining the invitation, the officials continued to remove the meter, prompting Leppich to check their identification. She was given a lanyard with a driver’s license and City Power employee card but one of the officials took exception to her actions. “When I was taking photos of her ID cards that’s when she snapped,” recalls Leppich.

The aggressive official then allegedly attacked her, ripping off her necklace in a foul-mouthed flurry.

As Leppich was allegedly being attacked, a couple in a hatchback came around the bend off Mozart Road. The couple intervened but this only aggravated the City Power employee further. The following few minutes were a shouting match in Tauber Street.

“She would not stop screaming and she kept saying she was removing my meter because she wanted to and that I would have to pay R13 000 to replace it,” said Leppich, adding that the official took out her frustrations on a nearby tree with her screwdriver.

DLN caters to children with high-functioning autism and ADHD and Leppich reveals how the learners were visibly distressed having heard the entirety of the official’s tirade. Parents were immediately communicated with, with one child needing to be taken home after suffering a panic attack and another needing to be calmed down using the attention of a friendly dog at the school.

The removed meter had been in place for 14 years and due to the low consumption of the classrooms on the property serviced, Leppich only loads electricity a few times a year. The adjoining property’s meter is loaded monthly and Leppich has received visits before from City Power who have previously accepted the explanation that the meter has a low consumption rate and is loaded well in advance.

Honeydew police made two visits to the premises and after going to the hospital to complete a J88 form, Leppich and her husband visited City Power’s Roodepoort Service Delivery Centre. Leppich complimented the professionalism and customer service she received at the old depot. A City Power official went back to DLN to do his own inspection and came to the same conclusion his colleagues had done on previous occasions.

Needing to secure the property, an overnight solution was implemented on August 24 and while the meter was still missing on the morning of August 25, City Power said they would replace the meter free of charge and restore the lost units. City Power did replace the meter on the afternoon of August 25 but with considerably fewer units than what was available before the altercation.

City Power acknowledged a request on August 25 for information on possible disciplinary actions against their employee but further information had not been forthcoming as of publication.

Frustrated at what her staff and learners were forced to endure due to the actions of one municipal employee, Leppich hopes the angry official is not allowed to interact with the public again.