Eldos residents at boiling point over electricity issues

Eldorado Park residents told City Power officials they were willing to pay for electricity but threatened to bridge the meters if City Power ignored their grievances at a meeting at the Don Matman Hall on November 16.

As the deadline for recoding prepaid meters looms, more residents are worried about access to electricity. They and Wards 17 and 18 councillors expressed several concerns at the meeting.

City Power officials Maanda Phaayane and Mulinda Masotsha spoke to the disgruntled residents, elaborating on recoding the prepaid meters and responding to questions.

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Some challenges are faulty meters, including a 50-year-old meter that needs replacing or upgrading, power outages and the surrounding informal settlements illegally connected to the grid, which affect Eldo’s electricity, and the exploitation of senior citizens who paid subcontractors R14 000 for meter installations, which they never received.

According to the representatives, the ongoing meter recoding would “normalise” the community’s electricity infrastructure.

Explaining the rationale behind it, the officials said the 2 209 meters currently working would be upgraded from (key revision number) KRN1 to KRM2 by November 24, with extensions available until May should they fail to meet the deadline.

“This upgrade is necessary because when you go to the shops on November 25 and want to buy, you won’t be able to if your meter is still on KRN1,” said the representatives.

They reassured the residents that they wouldn’t pay a cent for the upgrades, emphasising that City Power’s services are free. They also highlighted the benefits of the Expanded Social Package (ESP) for pensioners, which provides 30 free units monthly and has no service fees.

Addressing concerns about contractors extorting money from residents, the officials urged those affected to report the incidents, again stressing that all City Power’s services are free.

“If a contractor came to your house and extorted money from you, we have asked the councillor to put your name and address on our system.”

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Ward 18 Clr Juwairiya Kaldine said, as leaders, they are concerned by City Power’s lack of engagement.

She called out the utility for its failure to attend council meetings and engage with the community, its unresponsiveness to community concerns and its lack of transparency and accountability. She demanded City Power deal with foreign shops and informal settlements before the residents.

In light of extortion and corruption cases, Kaldine and Ward 17 Clr Dwain Ponsonby asked City Power to first engage with them before carrying out operations in the community.

Request for assistance

The residents, wanting help with electricity-related problems, asked that City Power take responsibility, find solutions and refund the exploited seniors.

To address these concerns, the residents and councillors suggested improved communication, regular meetings and engagement between City Power and the community – transparency and accountability that would give the residents clear explanations and solutions for the electricity issues.

They also suggested supporting vulnerable groups like senior citizens and low-income households and an investigation into corruption to probe the allegations of extortion and corruption.

The officials concluded by emphasising City Power’s commitment to working closely with councillors and residents to ensure a seamless upgrade process.

“Our duty is to normalize the community and provide accessible electricity services.”