Anti-Electricity Theft Measures Bear Fruits

The City’s meter management system used to detected potential electricity theft has flagged 98 customers in Alra Park Extension 2 and Ceruitville in Nigel for not buying electricity in the last three months.

Sanctions listed below will apply, in line with the standard procedure as per City’s policy:

• Disconnection of supply because of meter tampering;
• A fee is charged to reconnect power, currently at R2 958.  This fee is payable in full before the supply will be restored;
• Back-billing up to 36 months will be effected and often means a bill of around R30 000 or more;
• The meter will continue to be audited, and any further attempts to tamper with the installation will be met with more disconnections and reinstatement fees, also well as arrest and criminal prosecution;
• As a last resort, the electricity supply may be removed altogether.

During the meter boxes auditing process conducted it was established that a number of prepaid meters were tampered with, either to connect electricity illegally or to steal some electrical components inside the main municipal supply meter boxes.

In this specific the City loses 30% of the electricity supplied, estimated to cause a loss in excess of R100 000 per month.  This value is based on lost electricity sales, as well as the consumption that must still be paid to the City bulk supplier of electricity. 

These criminal activities lead to damages on the electrical equipment and network failure due to overloading and faulty connections. The City cautions residents from tampering with the meter boxes or face the consequences.

To deal with the electricity theft, the City is installing protective components on its meter boxes. This includes installation of pole-mount, protective structures with remotely controlled locking mechanism.

Furthermore, replacing and repairing the vandalised meter boxes will commence at the end of March  and will be completed by June 2020.