THE eThekwini Municipality has yet to confirm whether it will retroactively charge Impala Park residents in Illovo Glen for electricity used over the past 10 months, following the bypassing of faulty prepaid meters by municipal electricians.

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Margaret Hillman, a resident of the complex, said her prepaid electricity meter, along with those of several neighbours, stopped functioning in June last year. When she reported the issue, municipal electricians visited the site and, after inspecting the meters, informed residents that the devices were outdated and that replacements were currently out of stock.

As a temporary solution, electricians bypassed the faulty meters, allowing electricity to flow freely to the affected units. However, this workaround has now raised questions about whether residents will face backdated billing for electricity consumed during this period.

Despite inquiries, the municipality has not provided clarity on whether residents will be expected to pay for the electricity used since the bypass was installed.

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“I have contacted the department on a number of occasions only to be told that there are no meters. I am aware of five residents who are in the same position in my village, however, I believe that hundreds are in the same situation in the eThekwini area. I was told that one lady had been waiting over a year for her meter to be replaced and that was in June 2024,” she said.

She has made several trips to Sizakala Centre in Winklespruit in vain to try and have the problem solved. Her biggest concern is that when the new meter is eventually installed, the department will thumb-suck how much electricity she has used and then demand the amount to be paid immediately.

“I am totally in the dark as to how much electricity I am using per month, although I am still using it sparingly as I did when having a prepaid meter,” said Hillman.

She believes that as there could be thousands of other users across the metro in a similar situation, the municipality is losing a lot of revenue.

The municipality acknowledged the SUN’s enquiries on the matter and promised to respond within 24 hours. At the time of publishing, more than a week later, and after repeated attempts to get an answer, none had been received.

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