Kempton Park resident battles CoE over meter

Kempton Park resident Caroline Vika said she has been paying for two electricity meter boxes.

This comes after installing a prepaid meter in her house, and the CoE kept billing her for her municipal electricity meter.

“I’ve been getting interim electricity readings since May 2022. I was told many times that someone from the municipality needed access to my premises, but the meter box is outside,” she said.

Vika added that this continued for months, and she has an account deficit of just under R7 000.

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“On that bill, there is VAT for the deficits of 2022, 2023 and a few months of 2024. R7 000 is a lot of money, and this wasn’t even my fault.

“I was getting interim meter readings. There have been tariff increases, and now I’m left with two years of deficit, yet I have pointed out many times that I’m on interim readings for electricity.”

Vika said she wanted to know why interim charges were billed for two years and why she must pay them.
Also, she wants to know why the charges are billed with 2024 rates, not those for two years ago.

In one email Vika sent to the CoE, she asked why she pays VAT for 2024 for the shortfall if the error was not from her end.

“This was an error clearly on the CoE’s end because the electricity readings are electronic and don’t require access into the property,” she said.

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She added that she would not be able to pay the R7 000 in one payment and would like it collected monthly with ongoing charges.

Additionally, she said the CoE should readily make available the information on how clients should deal with this situation.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini spoke to the Kempton Express.

“It is not normal for residents to get charged a specific fee for errors from the municipality’s side. Interims were billed,” he said.

He added that when a resident switches to a prepaid meter, the municipality does not cancel their electricity account because other services, like water and sewage, are billed on it.

The final electricity meter readings are billed after installing the pre-paid meter.

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Dlamini said Vika’s residence’s final reading was billed, and the conventional meter closed.

Vika disputes this.

“This was not implemented,” she said.

Additionally, Dlamini said residents with similar issues can enquire with the CoE.