Cape Town is battling a spike in electricity meter tampering cases, which the city says is linked to high energy costs.
On Thursday, the city revealed 12,000 meters had been tampered with. This followed a protest in Lavender Hill over disputed electricity meter tampering incidents.
Xanthea Limberg, the city’s mayoral committee member for energy, said the increase in meter tampering cases was “largely linked to soaring energy costs driving South Africa’s cost of living crisis, impacting all residents and especially vulnerable households”.
She added: “In recent years, the city has observed a notable increase in prepaid meter tampering cases. It is our view that these incidents are linked to the growing cost of living crisis driven by unaffordable and unreasonable electricity tariff hikes proposed by Eskom and approved by the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) over the years. Just yesterday, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis wrote to Nersa asking it to reject Eskom’s unconscionable 44% proposed electricity hike.
Limberg said there more than 12,000 meters have been established as having been tampered with, setting up electricity theft. “It is simply illegal and not sustainable for the city as income is essential to enable the city to provide these electricity services. In addition, we have extensive subsidies already available to qualifying residents to help struggling households. About 30% of our customers receive free basic electricity.”
She said apart from offering subsidised electricity allocations to qualifying residents, the city also implemented a significant price reduction for larger families or vulnerable households who maintain a monthly average of 450 units on the highly subsidised “lifeline tariff”.
“In the last financial year, the city raised the number of units that could be bought by lifeline customers on the cheaper tariff from 350 to up to 600 units a month. Importantly, assistance is on offer, but the city must be mindful that help can only be provided in a sustainable manner, within the city’s available financial resources,” Limberg said.
TimesLIVE
Cases of electricity meter tampering in Cape Town spike as energy costs bite
Image: Michael Kimberley
Cape Town is battling a spike in electricity meter tampering cases, which the city says is linked to high energy costs.
On Thursday, the city revealed 12,000 meters had been tampered with. This followed a protest in Lavender Hill over disputed electricity meter tampering incidents.
Xanthea Limberg, the city’s mayoral committee member for energy, said the increase in meter tampering cases was “largely linked to soaring energy costs driving South Africa’s cost of living crisis, impacting all residents and especially vulnerable households”.
She added: “In recent years, the city has observed a notable increase in prepaid meter tampering cases. It is our view that these incidents are linked to the growing cost of living crisis driven by unaffordable and unreasonable electricity tariff hikes proposed by Eskom and approved by the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) over the years. Just yesterday, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis wrote to Nersa asking it to reject Eskom’s unconscionable 44% proposed electricity hike.
Limberg said there more than 12,000 meters have been established as having been tampered with, setting up electricity theft. “It is simply illegal and not sustainable for the city as income is essential to enable the city to provide these electricity services. In addition, we have extensive subsidies already available to qualifying residents to help struggling households. About 30% of our customers receive free basic electricity.”
She said apart from offering subsidised electricity allocations to qualifying residents, the city also implemented a significant price reduction for larger families or vulnerable households who maintain a monthly average of 450 units on the highly subsidised “lifeline tariff”.
“In the last financial year, the city raised the number of units that could be bought by lifeline customers on the cheaper tariff from 350 to up to 600 units a month. Importantly, assistance is on offer, but the city must be mindful that help can only be provided in a sustainable manner, within the city’s available financial resources,” Limberg said.
TimesLIVE
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