THE eThekwini Municipality has announced a major step forward in its efforts to improve billing accuracy with the installation of 14 000 new electricity meters across the city.

During his recent press briefing, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the new meters form part of a broader municipal commitment to ensure that residents are billed fairly and for the exact services they use. Over the years, and throughout eThekwini, residents have been complaining about estimated billing which has landed some with exorbitant bills.

“The municipality is committed to ensuring that residents are billed accurately and for the actual services they have consumed monthly,” said Xaba. “The unavailability of electricity meters has made this task difficult, resulting in estimated bills being sent to customers.”

He said the installation of the new meters follows a key resolution taken during the City’s strategic planning session earlier this year, which prioritised the procurement of electricity meters to address long-standing service challenges.

Also Read: Ratepayers laud court ruling over water back-billing dispute

“I am pleased to report that a total of 14 000 electricity meters have been received for installation to various properties within the municipality,” Xaba confirmed. “We are expecting additional meters during the financial year so that we can adequately address critical service challenges and improve revenue collection.”

According to the municipality, the roll-out will also help accelerate the issuing of revenue clearance certificates, reduce the backlog in metering new housing developments, and support the transition from credit to prepaid meters. It will also address faulty or bypassed meters and assist with new service applications.

“This move will enable us to fast-track the issuing of revenue clearance certificates, address the backlog in metering, and ensure we improve overall efficiency,” Xaba added.

The City has already made strides in cutting down on estimated billing. Currently, only 10% of water bills are based on estimates, while the figure for electricity sits at 22%. “With the delivery of new meters, this challenge will now be a thing of the past,” Xaba assured residents.

For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here