4 days ago
Fines (R10 000 to R40 000) for electricity bypass in ELM
VANDERBIJLPARK – Many streets in SE7 are 100% illegally bypassed, bleeding the municipality dry of service delivery revenue and threatening to compromise the electricity infrastructure for all customers in the area.
This has caused stakeholders to blame electricity theft as the reason why a small group of residents are resisting the installation of smart meters in the area – and gives insight into why Emfuleni residents owe ELM more than R6 billion for unpaid services.
According to smart meter service provider BXC, which says it has discovered more and more streets in the densely-populated suburb – due to concentrated student accommodation – are 100% bypassed and with even more streets reaching a 90% and 80% bypass rate.
The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) is staggering under the financial weight of a deep-seated culture of non-payment throughout Emfuleni, but especially in densely-populated suburbs such as SE7, resulting in huge losses for ELM which must still pay Eskom for stolen power.
DA Councillor Yvonne Coertze says the installation of smart meters throughout Emfuleni is vital to normalise electricity supply and to ensure payment.
BXC is proceeding with smart meter installations in SE7 under Police guard and also assisted by the ELM By Law Unit.
ELM is on National Treasury's debt relief programme for its huge Eskom debt and a requirement of that programme is that smart meters be installed to protect and expand revenue security.
Most of ELM's revenue comes from electricity sales, currently managed by Eskom as its agent.
Although smart meter infrastructure can be bypassed, unlike traditional pre-paid meters it is picked up instantly by the BXC IT network and allows for swift action.
Fines of up to R10 000 or even R40 000 in the case of businesses can be issued if bypasses are found, and these must be paid along with the cost of stolen electricity before power is restored.
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