The controversy surrounding the newly installed smart meters continues to escalate.

More and more residents are voicing complaints about unusually high consumption readings, error codes, and the hiccup when buying tokens.

Residents maintain that their daily routines have remained the same, but the units are being gulped up.

Emmie Nawrattel said, “I am a widow, and since the new smart meter was installed, I am paying double. My geyser is on for two hours a day, and I do not cook so often anymore to save electricity. From R1 500, my electricity went up to between R2 500 and R3 000.”

Neels Grobler is also at wit’s end.

He said a smart meter was installed in May, and since then, his consumption has more than doubled.

“I used between eight to 14 units per day. When the smart meter was installed, the consumption went up to between 40 and 44 units after a day.”

Grobler complained, and a new meter was installed.

“Since the new smart meter was installed, my consumption went down to 30 units a day.”

He added that he asked for a calibration certificate as he is convinced there is a problem with the entire batch of smart meters.

One particular concern is from a resident who reported a direct link between replacing the batteries in their smart meter and a significant loss of units.

“The batteries in my meter needed changing. As soon as I replaced the batteries, several units were missing. No one can answer and tell me why this is happening,” an angry resident stated.

Once again there was no feedback from the municipality regarding this burning issue.

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