Eskom catches 400,000 non-paying customers in its net – sets new deadline for the rest
Power utility Eskom says that the prepaid electricity metre rollover allowed it to catch 400,000 previously non-paying customers in its net – all of whom are now paying for electricity as they should.
In an update on its rollover and upgrade process, Eskom said that not only did it manage to convert so-called “zero buyers”, it also managed to update its prepaid customer base to an up-to-date figure of 7.25 million meters.
As of 24 November—the deadline for the prepaid meter rollover and the date after which outdated systems can no longer dispense electricity units—5.5 million customers, including the 400,000 zero buyer converts, have completed the rollover and are transacting on the new KRN2 system.
Zero buyers have decreased to 1.7 million customers, Eskom said.
“Zero buyers” is a euphemistic term used by Eskom to describe customers using electricity but not paying for it through legitimate channels, or at all. These customers were/are either purchasing units from ‘ghost’ vendors, or may have bypassed or tampered with their meters.
“We request these customers to do what is right by Friday, 13 December 2024, by visiting their nearest Eskom sites,” it said.
The utility has laid out different priorities for customers, depending on their status and problems that need troubleshooting.
- All paying customers who bought electricity before the deadline, had their meters made KRN2 compliant and are experiencing difficulty will be assisted in completing the process and will not be unfairly penalised.
- Zero buyers who bought electricity before the deadline and are unable to load their meters must bring their slips/tokens to the nearest Eskom Hub by Friday, 13 December 2024, to be assisted. Customers are urged not to wait for the last day of the extension.
- Zero buyers who bought electricity before the deadline but have a meter-related matter, such as a lost, bypassed, or tampered meter, must come forward at Eskom centres by Friday, 13 December 2024. Their individual situations will be assessed, tamper fines issued if required and meter updates and replacements will then be scheduled.
- Zero buyers who have come forward but did not buy or attempt to buy electricity tokens by 24 November 2024 are encouraged to purchase electricity tokens before 13 December 2024. Their meters will be audited, and tamper fines and meter replacement costs will be assessed and issued accordingly. They can come forward at any time.
Eskom said that it hopes all outstanding customers will have converted to KRN2 by the deadline, after which it will continue to assist those who may still be experiencing issues, monitoring the payment of fines, replacement of meters, continuing issuing tamper fines and disconnecting those who did not come forward.
It should be noted that while meters on KRN1 can no longer accept electricity vouchers, it is still possible to perform the update to KRN2 as long as the codes to do so can be sourced.
The City of Joburg’s power utility, City Power, said it has codes for all its outstanding meters and set another deadline for these late conversions to occur by 31 May 2025.
Again, no explanation for the date or for what happens after it has passed has been given.
“In the past ten days, we saw zero buyers coming forward in huge numbers wanting to buy electricity and do the right thing.
“We will continue to treat these users with dignity and respect as we resolve these issues for all of them who did the right thing,” Eskom said.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane said the group is doing everything “practically possible” to make users pay for the electricity they use.
“(This) in the interest of those who already pay for electricity, maintain the sustainability of Eskom to drive the economic growth of South Africa and reduce our burden on the taxpayer,” he said.
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