The Municipality announced at a media briefing that the rollout of split prepaid electricity meters is officially underway. This project forms part of the Municipality’s Revenue Enhancement Programme, aimed at improving billing accuracy, reducing electricity losses and illegal connections, and strengthening service delivery.

The programme was officially launched on March 8. The programme is led by Executive Mayor Councillor Gaba Thithiba ka Qhele, the Mayoral Committee, Municipal Manager Kgomotso Kumbe and a team of officials.

The first phase of installations has begun in Ventersdorp, where 3150 meters have been procured and installations are ongoing. These meters are designed with a display screen inside the home, while the meter box is mounted outside on a pole to make tampering more difficult.

According to the municipality, Ventersdorp has long struggled with non-payment: at one stage, 90% of residents were not paying for electricity, but this has now been reduced to 68%. More than 8,000 prepaid meters have been identified as inactive, and over a thousand conventional meters are inaccessible for readings.

“Non-payment of electricity leads to financial losses, worsens service delivery challenges and causes unnecessary outages due to overloaded transformers and illegal connections,” the municipality stated.

Potchefstroom will be the next focus area. Currently, about 79% of Potchefstroom residents buy electricity, while 20% do not. The municipality says compliance checks will target student housing and buildings on the Bult, as well as businesses and government institutions.

Ward councillors will inform residents about the project, the available support options, and procedures to apply for indigent assistance. For those who can pay but have fallen into arrears, repayment arrangements will be available, with interest on outstanding debt frozen, provided payments are made consistently.

The municipality confirmed that its total Eskom debt now stands at R762 million, with Ventersdorp’s main account alone amounting to more than R15.4 million for July 2025, without residents contributing. A payment of R75 million was recently made, but a further R140 million is due by the end of September.

Currently, municipal reserves are being used to manage this debt, but the municipality hopes to be debt-free within two years.

The municipality stressed that its approach is not only punitive but also supportive. Residents who cannot afford to pay will be assisted through the indigent programme, while those who can pay but refuse to will face firm consequences.

“We are a caring government, but we must uphold the law,” the municipality said. “Sustainable service delivery is only possible if everyone pays their share,” the municipality said.

According to Hans- Jurie Moolman, DA councillor in JB Marks, the problem of residents not paying should have been addressed before the merger.

“The merger of Ventersdorpo and Tlokwe was used as a quick fix , without upsetting a lot of people before an election. The push for the demerger between Tlokwe  and Ventersdorp has cast light on the matter. The sudden action in Ventersdorp is an attempt to demonstrate to Potchefstroom residents, who are now aware of what is going on, that the municipality will finally act after 10 years,” Moolman said.

He reiterated that despite being one municipality, two separate credit-control measures are applied in Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp.

“In Potchefstroom, your power is cut off and a 95/5 allocation is made on arrears. In Ventersdorp, electricity is not cut and a 70/30 allocation is made on arrears. The above should also be seen in light of the fact that Eskom issues a monthly account for bulk electricity usage. The account can only be settled in one way, and that is by collecting money through distribution and supply to consumers. Where money is not collected, the lights have to be kept on with funds intended for other service delivery programmes. This means no services where there is no money. We are currently paying off Eskom debt of R700 million with each additional monthly account. That means we must pay the monthly obligations plus installments on arrears. Perhaps this is also one of the reasons why the recovery of funds is suddenly being pursued.,” Moolman explained.