City warns residents against fake electricity tokens and ghost vending
The City of Ekurhuleni has warned residents against illegal connections, meter tampering and ghost vending, saying offenders face heavy fines, disconnections and possible prosecution.
The City of Ekurhuleni has strongly condemned illegal electricity connections, meter bypassing and ghost vending.
These actions, the metro said, compromise the financial integrity of municipal utilities and pose serious risks to public safety, service reliability and the overall stability of the economy
Tampering with meters, illegal connections and token bridging places significant strain on the city’s resources. These activities lead to frequent repairs of substations, increased operational costs and delays in service delivery to law-abiding electricity users.
They also contribute to the premature exhaustion of the city’s budget. To address this, the city imposes miscellaneous charges on individuals who tamper with electricity meters.
“These charges include the cost of removing and reinstating a service connection due to tampering. The fee is calculated based on the estimated cost of materials, labour and transport, plus an additional 10%, with a minimum charge of R5 566.07,” said the metro.
Repeat offences attract escalating penalties:
* Second offence: Penalty fee is doubled
* Third offence: Penalty fee is tripled
* Fourth offence: The electricity service connection will be permanently removed, and all related costs will be charged to the customer’s account
In addition to financial penalties, offenders may also be prosecuted under municipal by-laws and other applicable legislation.
The city has also urged residents to avoid buying cheaper electricity tokens circulating on digital platforms, warning that these are scams.
“Residents are encouraged to purchase electricity only from the municipality, Eskom or registered NERSA-compliant resellers, most of which sell tokens through retailers,” stated the metro.
The city acknowledged that some residents may struggle to afford electricity. It encouraged those unable to pay to apply for assistance through the city’s Indigent Support Programme.
Eligible households can receive essential relief in line with national and municipal criteria. Relief is granted monthly, subject to the city’s policies and budget availability.
