The partially-investigated case of unmetered supply boxes seems to have been dropped like a hot potato two months after it was made public.
To date, neither councillor Carl Mann nor the Record received feedback after it was reported in February that several residences on Watson Street simply have no electricity meters.
In February, the Record accompanied Mann to the street where open supply boxes were found. It was confirmed by inspection that meters were absent from them, replaced with switches mounted on pressed-wood boards, by which one can simply switch supply to the residences on and off. It was alleged that City Power made the replacements to allow them to investigate cases in the street related to incorrect billing. Some of these cases were filed with the City of Johannesburg over three years ago.
City Power employees allegedly offered to bridge the meters for residents in person, after the entity received several billing complaints from them.
The danger remains that residents are now required to pay bills based on estimated usage, which may be well above or well below what should be paid. This could turn into future claims from CoJ that they either haven’t paid for their usage or have paid too little, Mann said.
In its previous report the Record stated City Power spokesperson Yumna Sheik’s promise to provide the local media with an update as the investigation moves forward.
By email proof it was confirmed that neither the newspaper nor Mann have had any updates on the situation since 16 February. An email trail shows Mann first approached then-Region C depot manager Noel Maso, acting MD Sicelo Xulu and a few other officials on 18 January regarding the matter.
Since then the buck seems to have been passed numerous times. The final person approached in a chain of emails was the acting load and meter manager, Louis Pheiffer, on 25 January. On 14 February, he followed up with Mann to get details on some of the residents complaining.
Not a word was received since. The Record approached Sheik again on Wednesday 30 March, but the request wasn’t dignified with so much as an acknowledgement of receipt.
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