The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in Tshwane is warning of a potential humanitarian crisis as hundreds of residents face disconnections from the power grid due to failing to upgrade their electricity prepaid meters before the November 24 deadline.
Regional Sanco secretary Martin Moloto is calling on the City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya to assist residents struggling to upgrade, citing concerns about disconnections and undue stress on vulnerable communities.
Moloto also asked the mayor to engage with Eskom to extend the deadline and provide alternative solutions for residents.
According to Moya, there are at least 22,400 households in Mamelodi that still need to upgrade their meters.
Residents who fail to upgrade will not be able to load electricity tokens after Sunday midnight, and those with bridged electricity will have to be reconnected at a fee.
Moloto said: “The current deadline of November 24 2024 imposes undue stress on residents, particularly the elderly, indigent, and vulnerable communities. Many face disconnections due to technical issues, lack of awareness, or financial constraints.”
He asked the mayor to provide alternative solutions for residents struggling with re-coding of meters.
“We urge the City of Tshwane Executive Mayor to prioritise residents' interests and mitigate potential humanitarian crises,” he said.
The call for the mayor's intervention was made as hundreds of people in Tshwane scramble to upgrade their prepaid electricity meters before the Sunday midnight deadline.
To avoid power supply disruptions, the City is extending its office hours over the weekend to help residents upgrade their prepaid electricity meters.
Residents can check if their meters have been upgraded by entering specific codes depending on their meter type.
For example, customers in Tshwane using Conlog meters can check if their meters have been upgraded by entering #5# or enter token 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416.
If the keypad displays r2: t2, it means your meter is upgraded, but if it displays r1: t2, it means your meter is not upgraded.
For Hexing meters, customers can enter 873# or enter token 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416
“If the keypad displays 01 and, after 3 seconds, displays 02, then you are upgraded. If it remains on 01, then the meter is not upgraded, ” the City said.
For Landis and Gyr (Cash Power) meters, they can token 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 and if the keypad displays r2: t2, it means the meter is upgraded. However, if the keypad displays r1: t1, it means the meter is not upgraded.
MMC for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, this week said customers who fail to meet the deadline will not be able to load electricity tokens after Sunday midnight.
Pretoria News