City Power is examining its employees and contractors following an increase in illegal prepaid metre bypassing.
The entity’s revenue protection team unplugged 122 apartments at a Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) complex in City Deep on Monday, marking the second such raid in a week.
The metres ignored were newly installed prepaid metres that were put out around Johannesburg last year.
In addition to the 122 bypassed metres, City Power removed 114 circuit breakers to prevent the quick reconnection that is customary following similar procedures.
Those detected with unlawful connections were fined based on the cost of restoring the tampered connection in their apartment.
Users with single-phase connections received fines of almost R14 000, while three-phase users risked fines of more than R30 000.
Bypassing an energy metre can be risky if you don’t have the right tools and knowledge, and those who have been disconnected blame City Power.
“We are following leads against some contractors and even our own staff members who have been reported by some of these customers to be responsible for the bypassing of some of these metres, charging anything between R2000 and R5000,” according to a spokesperson for City Power, Isaac Mangena.
City Power warned customers not to utilise the illegal service offered by rogue staff, stating that penalties would still be imposed on the user.
The operation in City Deep parallels one conducted last week in Kliptown, where another 120 recently installed metres were discovered to have been evaded.
Joshco indicated on Monday that it supported City Power’s actions in previous weeks.
“[Bypassing] can lead to dangerous situations such as electrical fires, electrocution, or other safety risks that threaten the lives of everyone living in the complex,” claimed acting Joshco CEO Nokwazi Mtshali.
The practice has a negative impact on energy infrastructure, and Joshco stated that they will do more audits at their developments to identify illicit connections.
“We urge all residents to respect the rules, report any suspicious activities, and contribute to making the community a safer place for all,” Mtshali remarked.