Some customers who have converted to prepaid from postpaid meters no longer purchase electricity.
Those who need to convert their postpaid meters to prepaid will have to wait until November to start the process.
On Thursday, City Power announced a temporary suspension of the process from 27 August 2025 to 1 November.
The regional power utility said it needs to conduct a thorough review of the process to ensure future conversations are handled accurately and fairly.
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility has noted that some customers who have converted to prepaid from postpaid meters no longer purchase electricity.
In some cases, discrepancies have been found in accounts that were not accurately reflected on City Power’s systems after conversion.
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There is also the impact of prepaid tariff structures, which, until July 2024, excluded fixed service and network charges.
City Power has established a task team to conduct this review, and its findings and recommendations will be tabled in two months.
“The temporary suspension will allow City Power to conduct a thorough investigation into the financial and operational impacts of all electricity meter conversions,” said Mangena.
This suspension will not affect existing prepaid or postpaid customers, who will continue to purchase electricity and receive services as usual, said City Power.
Electricity supply remains unaffected, and customers should continue to use their existing meters normally.
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“The suspension is a temporary measure to allow City Power to strengthen systems, tighten controls, and ensure that future conversions are handled accurately and in line with proper revenue protection standards.
“This pause will also allow for a thorough review of the conversion process and the implementation of improved procedures.”
City Power extends free basic electricity registration
Last month, the power utility extended the free basic electricity (FBE) registration amid a growing demand.
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Residents who successfully register receive 50 kWh of electricity for free every month and are also exempt from City Power’s R200 surcharge, which consists of a R70 service fee and a R130 network capacity charge.
The registration has been extended to 31 December 2025 to allow more qualifying residents to benefit from the programme.
“This extension is in response to a growing demand and the need to ensure that no eligible resident is left behind as we target to register a total of 130 000 people for free monthly basic electricity,” said Mangena.
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