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Eskom cannot replace transformer that fell on house

Eskom introduced a deferred payment arrangement.

Eskom maintains that for the residents of this settlement near Hazyview to be reconnected and supplied power, they should pay 70% of the money they owe it, as many of them have connected to the grid illegally.

This after a transformer fell onto a resident’s house on November 16, resulted in the community not having electricity since.

According to Eskom, the community will continue to be without electricity unless the payment is made. The community, however, is not satisfied with this.

The house’s owner, Lesedi Mabuza, said after Eskom had come to collect the transformer the day after it fell over, the company refused to replace it, resulting in the community spending the entire festive period without electricity.

She said Eskom went around the community to conduct inspections to establish if there were any residents who had illegal connections and were, therefore, getting electricity for free.

“They said many households in the area were not paying for electricity, therefore, the community should raise R61 000 to give to Eskom to purchase a new transformer to replace the one that had fallen over,” said Mabuza.

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Eskom said there was a storm around the Hazyview area on November 16 which affected electricity supply to some residents, and it gave this as a possible reason for the transformer falling over.

The company said its technicians dispatched to the house also discovered the transformer had been constructed before the customer had built her house near it.

Mabuza, however, disputed this, saying the transformer was installed long after she had built her house.

Eskom confirmed that it had conducted an audit to establish if the residents’ electrical connections were legal.

“An audit was conducted on November 22, and it was found that some of the residents had connected themselves illegally. As per Eskom rules, 43 tamper fines were issued, and 70% of these must be paid, and a minimum of R3 050 must be paid per tamper fine for Eskom to replace the transformer. The remaining 30% who have not paid will remain disconnected until the payment is made,” said Lazarus Muthimba, Eskom’s provincial communication and stakeholder management practitioner.

The process to replace or repair the failed equipment like transformers and mini subs commences with a network audit to determine the cause of the failures and the extent of the damages, followed by the removal of illegal connections and fixing tampered meter installations.”

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He said once these procedures were completed, the damaged equipment would be replaced depending on the availability of the required material.

“The customers who were found to have tampered are issued a remedial fine of R6 052.60. To accommodate the customers who cannot immediately settle the whole amount, Eskom introduced a deferred payment arrangement [DPA]. Residents may make an initial minimum payment of R3 050, and the balance can be paid over a maximum period of six months. All business customers are required to pay the full remedial fee issued, with no DPA allowed,” explained Muthimba.

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