“The project is aimed at all customers, including business and residential patrons.”
ALL RESIDENTS and small business owners in Kimberley will soon be forced to convert to prepaid metering for electricity.
In a statement issued yesterday, Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Sello Matsie said this would allow residents to manage their own consumption.
“Prepaid electricity metering is the face of the future,” Matsie said, adding that this was why the municipality had embraced the project to convert all its customers to prepaid metering.
“The project is aimed at all customers, including business and residential patrons.”
However, the municipality will first target faulty and bypassed meters. “The replacement of faulty and bypassed meters with prepaid meters will be the first phase of the project,” Matsie stated.
He added that around R200 000 had been budgeted by the municipality for this phase and the contract had been given to a local company that supplies and maintains pumps and valves. The company has been involved in the maintenance of the pumps at Riverton.
“The aim is to eventually replace all conventional meters with prepaid meters,” Matsie said.
He added that this contract, which will be around R2.8 million, has already gone out on tender. “We are waiting for the bid adjudicator to appoint a contractor for this project.
“There are numerous benefits of converting to prepaid meters, including the ability to manage electricity consumption and to avoid billing estimations or interim readings,” Matsie said.
He urged residents to co-operate with the contractors appointed to install the prepaid meters, in order to ensure the success of the project.
“Once the second phase of the project is rolled out, customers will have to call the Sol Plaatje Municipality to arrange for the conversion of their meters.”
Matsie stated that an appointed contractor would then remove the existing meter and replace it with a prepaid meter. The contractor will also issue a meter card, which will have five units on it. The customer will have to register the meter at the Civic Centre and buy units as soon as possible.”
Matsie said that if customers refused to allow the installation of prepaid meters, the utility reserved the right to terminate their electricity supply.
“We urge our customers to be vigilant of criminals posing as municipal officials. To verify a legitimate contractor, you can ask to see the municipal letter and phone the municipal official stated on the letter. The letter will have the name and surname, staff or contractor number, and Sol Plaatje municipal logo,” added Matsie.
For more information on the programme, residents can call
053 830 6595 during business hours or phone the municipal call centre on 053 830 6111.
“This is an initiative of the municipality to reduce the current electricity costs,” Matsie concluded.
