It’s lights out for illegal electricity connections in Waterfall
WATERFALL – One resident had their power switched off by Eskom for owing R30 000 as discovered during an audit operation.
Eskom technicians took to the affluent suburb of Waterfall on 19 November to conduct an audit operation.
Six teams from the power utility split up to do audits in the area and check up to 71 meter boxes moving from the meeting point in Sunninghill. Eskom spokesperson in Gauteng, Reneiloe Semenya said in a media statement that the audits were identified from data analytics of smart meters that are distributed and delivered in the area. “This operation was undertaken with the aim of addressing energy theft and to recover revenue lost through illegal activities which include meter bypasses and non-adherence to Eskom’s Standard Conditions of Supply.”
One resident in the area was to have a hard disconnection from Eskom as the owed an amount totalled up to R30 000. One house that was still in construction had set up an illegal connection with an extension cord connecting two houses, with two locks on the meter box cut open. An amount needs to be calculated from what the owner on-site will owe Eskom.
Senior manager for customer services in Gauteng, Daphne Mokwena said the audits are ‘conducted proactively in the residential and commercial sectors as part of the energy management strategy that is aimed at curbing energy losses, and recovering money due to us to sustain operations’.
“We have some customers we need to do hard disconnections on because we have been struggling to get access into our meters to do those hard disconnection.”
Mokwena said the day’s events showed a number of illegal connections from those who did not accept Eskom’s quotes. The total amount owed by customers needs to be calculated based on how much they have used and what it is worth. “We found a couple of meters that have electricity while they rejected quotes we gave them, so we need to disconnect them.
“Then we need to contact those customers for them to accept or apply for new quotes so they can be legally connected. Bypassed meters that we found have also been disconnected.”
