Johannesburg - City Power has urged Joburg residents to cooperate with its officials by allowing them access onto their properties for meter reading and replacement purposes, warning them that refusing them access constitutes an offence.
Anthony Still, the city’s member of the mayoral committee for environment and infrastructure services said the utility has been experiencing an upsurge of customer queries in recent months pertaining to City Power officials requesting access to properties.
“We are continuing with an ongoing efforts of replacing inaccessible, bridged or meters bypassed by customers, as well as those meters that are considered to be faulty or old, with the smart meters for the purposes of improving billing accuracy, updating customer details and providing real time readings,” he said.
The old mechanical meters are being replaced because they do not have the benefits of the more-technological advanced smart meters. Meter reading in areas where City Power does not have a smart meter footprint is critical to ensuring consumers who use conventional electricity are billed for actual electricity consumed, he said.
“The city is committed to ending billing estimates and we advise the residents of Joburg to expect visits from City Power's meter installation/audit teams and grant them access to their properties for this project,” said Still.
Should customers willfully hinder, obstruct or interfere with any authorised representative of the utility in the performance of any duties after verifying their credentials, including but not limited to meter reading, they will be guilty of an offence, he said.
In terms of Section 23(1) of the Electricity Act 41 of 1987, read with Section 101 of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 as well as Section 33(1) of the Electricity By-Laws, “any person authorised thereto in writing by an undertaker may at all times enter any premise to which electricity has been supplied by such undertaker, in order to inspect the lines, meters, fittings, works and apparatus belonging to such undertaker or for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of the electricity consumed, or where a supply is no longer required, or where such undertaker may cut off the supply for the purpose of removing any line, meters, fittings, works and apparatus belonging to such undertaker.”
Where there is a need for a smart meter installation and the customer’s availability clashes with City Power's schedule, the customer is requested to contact the call centre on 011 490 7484 during office hours to arrange a convenient time for a City Power contractor official to return and assess the meter.
Customer safety is a priority for the city so homeowners should verify City Power technicians and contractors, first by checking their uniforms and their ID cards before allowing any onto their properties, he said.
* City Power encourages customers to check the technicians’ and contractors' cards which they are required to carry at all times when they are on duty. If the customer is unsure, they can verify the credentials of the City Power technicians by calling City Power's Risk Control Department on (011) 490 7900 / 7911 / 7553.
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