Almost 100 illegal electricity consumers in the City of Ekurhuleni had been caught out when the municipality picked up they had not used any electricity for three months.
The City of Ekurhuleni’s meter management system, which is used to detect potential electricity theft, has flagged 98 prepaid customers in Alra Park and Cerutiville in Nigel for not buying electricity the past three months, said City spokesperson Themba Gadebe.
These customers’ supply will now be disconnected as a result of meter tampering.
A reinstatement fee of R2 958 plus VAT will be issued. This fee must be paid in full before the supply will be restored.
According to Gadebe back-billing will be effected for a period of up to 36 months.
“This amount often approaches R30 000 or more.”
The City will continue to audit the meter and any further attempts to tamper with the installation will be met with more disconnections and reinstatement fees. Arrests and criminal prosecution could also follow.
Gadebe said, as a last resort, the electricity supply may be removed altogether.
During a meter box auditing process it was established that a number of prepaid meters were tampered with, either by connecting electricity illegally or to steal some electrical components inside the main municipal supply meter boxes.
“For this specific area only, the City lost 30 per cent of the electricity supplied, estimated to cause a loss in excess of R100 000 a month. This value is based on lost sales, as well as the consumption that must still be paid to the City’s bulk supplier of electricity.
“These criminal activities also lead to damage to electrical equipment and network failures due to overloading and faulty connections,” said Gadebe.
The City cautioned residents not to tamper with meter boxes.
To deal with electricity theft, the City is installing protective components on its meter boxes. This includes the installation of pole-mount, protective structures with a remotely controlled locking mechanism.
Replacing and repairing vandalised meter boxes will commence at the end of March and will be completed by June.
