Eskom urges customers to upgrade prepaid meters ahead of expiry date
The token identifiers of all standard transfer specification meters, also known as prepaid electricity meters are due to expire on 24 November.
A prepaid electricity meter and an electricity mains unit. Picture: @CityofCT/X
JOHANNESBURG - With about three months left before all prepaid meters in the country expire, Eskom says over two million of its customers have not upgraded their boxes.
The token identifiers of all standard transfer specification meters, also known as prepaid electricity meters are due to expire on 24 November.
This means meters, which have not been upgraded, will not be able to recharge electricity.
In a bid to ensure the prepaid meters continue to work beyond 24 November, Eskom said it had already pre-coded 6.9 million boxes.
The power utility said for the upgrade to go through, customers have to purchase an electricity token to receive an activation code.
Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, said about 2.6 million customers had not done this.
"How we see this thing unfolding is just to encourage, educate more vigorously and say to customers go and buy and make sure you buy from a legal vendor because if you buy from a ghost vendor you won’t be able to buy from a ghost vendor."
Meanwhile, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) said over one million prepaid meters had not yet been upgraded by municipalities.