CoCT believes electricity-related protests linked to its efforts to address tampering with meters
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said they believed that more residents were tampering with meters because of unaffordable and unreasonable Eskom tariff hikes.
A prepaid electricity meter and an electricity mains unit. Picture: @CityofCT/X
CAPE TOWN - The City of Cape Town believes that electricity-related protests are linked to its efforts to address meter tampering.
On Thursday, residents caused the closure of Prince George Drive in the Lavender Hill area during morning and afternoon traffic.
A community leader said they were unhappy with rising electricity tariffs and the replacement of old meters without public consultation.
The City of Cape Town said it had noted the protests related to disputed electricity meter tampering.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said they believed that more residents were tampering with meters because of unaffordable and unreasonable Eskom tariff hikes.
The mayor said that currently, they had established that more than 12,000 meters had been tampered with.
The metro warned that amounted to theft and was not sustainable, while it already provided extensive subsidies, with around 30% of municipal customers receiving free basic electricity.
It further stated that the law required it to be given access to households to check on suspected faulty meters or irregular power usage.
The city added that its meter replacement programme did not increase costs and the unit price of electricity stayed the same.