Ekurhuleni makes ‘R9m mistake’, charges residents extra fees

Ekurhuleni has helped itself to an extra R148 in monthly electricity service fees from residents after a glitch charged a R200 fee to prepaid power buyers.

The metro normally takes a R52 premium on a month’s first electricity purchase as a charge. The glitch came when the system charged premium company rates instead of the B tariff reserved for homes.

“Please note that tariff B’s residential vending category was erroneously linked to the business fixed charge instead of the residential fixed charge,” a message from the city explains.

“It has now been corrected and linked to the fixed charge which will now be in effect from [Friday]. Customers who have already purchased electricity and were charged the R200 fixed charge, must be refunded “in the form of replacement units as and when they come,” it said.

And residents have gone in legions, as the city is only correcting transactions manually. Queues stretched for blocks outside rates offices as hard-pressed customers attempt to secure refunds.

“What a stuff up,” said local Democratic Alliance spokesperson on energy Simon Lapping.

“I have had hundreds of residents WhatsApping me with this issue over the past 24 hours.”

He said an estimated 47 000 households have been impacted by the error.

“It’s a R9 million mistake.”

He also questioned why the mistake could not be fixed electronically.

“This is ridiculous and irresponsible,” said Lapping, “that during the third Covid wave people are made to queue for hours to fix the overcharge”.