South Africans have only hours left to update their prepaid electricity meters, with the deadline fast approaching.

Eskom has spent the past year warning prepaid customers about the looming Token Identifier (TID) rollover deadline, where any meters still using KRN1 (Key Revision Number 1) will no longer accept electricity tokens after Sunday, November 24, 2024,  at 20:15.

For those who have not yet upgraded, once their current credit is depleted, they will lose power, and the meter will become inoperable, necessitating a meter replacement that could cost up to R12,000, which the customer will have to pay.

The rollover affects approximately 11 million prepaid meters across South Africa, with around 8.4 million already updated to KRN version 2 – leaving about 2 million meters still needing upgrades.

Eskom has noted that the meters that have not yet been upgraded are likely to be those that have not purchased electricity for more than six months or might be using unauthorised tokens bought from criminal syndicates.

How to upgrade

The starting point is to check if your prepaid meter is updated or not:

• Enter the code 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 on your meter keypad.
• If your meter displays “2,” “2.2,” or “r2: t2,” it has been upgraded to KRN2.
• If it displays “1” or “1.2,” you still need to upgrade to KRN2.
• If your meter displays a 1, it is still on KRN 1 and hasn’t been recoded yet.

Customers can recode their meters themselves by completing the following steps:

• Obtain two key change tokens from a legitimate prepaid electricity vendor — this includes banking apps and similar value-added service resellers
• Enter the first 20-digit recode token and wait for it to be accepted
• Enter the second 20-digit recode token and wait for it to be accepted
• Enter the 20 digits of your electricity voucher to recharge on KRN version 2

It’s important to note that once updated, any tokens purchased in advance won’t work on the updated meter.

If your meter does not accept the 20-digit codes and you have internet access, visit Eskom’s chatbot, Alfred, at https://alfred.eskom.co.za/chatroom.

Go to “update my details” and follow the instructions.

You will receive an SMS from Eskom guiding you on what to do. Once you’ve followed these instructions, you can continue loading your purchased codes.

If you do not have internet access, dial 12037566# on your mobile for further assistance.

Customers who struggle to update their meter with these steps can also contact one of Eskom’s support lines for prepaid meter updates: In Gauteng Solly Matebula: 082 579 4334.

Also read: Special treatment confirmed: Kemp brothers’ bail extended despite conviction

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