Cape Flats residents demand action against rising electricity costs

Disgruntled residents from the Lavender Hill area and surrounds insist that the City of Cape Town’s newly installed meter boxes are extracting far too much electricity.

Mark Schrikker, who represents the 021 Community Action Group said he previously spent an average of R450-500 on power. Following the installation of his new power meter, Schrikker is now forking out R3000 each month, to keep the lights on.

The group represents the following communities; Lavender Hill, Hanover Park, Steenberg, Parkwood, Bonteheuwel, Heideveld, Ottery, Lotus River, Manenberg, Mitchell’s Plain, Cafda, and Pelican Park.

The residents are now demanding the removal of the new meter boxes. Many of them claim their units are reducing, even when none of their devices or appliances are connected.

“We had electricians who looked at it and we found out that it’s a single-phase unit that is outside in a mains box, an electric breaker that draws neutral power constantly. It’s constantly running, because even when the fridge and everything is off, it is still drawing power.”

‘THEY DO NOT INCREASE ELECTRICITY COSTS’

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town has stated that the meter boxes have been tampered with…allegations the residents are refuting. On Wednesday, the municipality also issued a statement saying that there appears to be political instigation and deliberate misinformation being spread by a small group of individuals in Lavender Hill and Hanover Park. Energy MMC Xanthea Limberg maintains that the claims are false:

“The City’s standard meter investigations reveal that 26,6% or 250 of the 939 meters checked in Lavender Hill had been tampered with or bypassed, and contrary to false claims they do not increase electricity costs.”

The municipality further stated that threats have been levelled against City electricity meter staff and contractors, a move it says appears to be politically driven. Schrikker says this is not the case:

“To be honest with you, they are lying. They are lying, because everybody in the community knows that nobody should threaten anybody. All we said to the City is that, until the matter is resolved no meter boxes are going to be rolled out, only faulty boxes,” said Schrikker.

A CALL FOR PROOF

The group said it is awaiting proof from the City that the newly installed electricity meter boxes have been tampered with. The group issued a list of demands to the municipality last week. Among the list of demands, it wants the metro to scrap all the debt of the electricity boxes including the fines that issued to people.

“There’s one household in Lavender Hill, where two elderly ladies are living. One is on a disability grant and the other is a pensioner. They fined these people for tampering, but those ladies are too old and too scared even to change a light bulb,” Schrikker elaborated.

Schrikker said more peaceful protests will be held, because residents feel the municipality is abusing its authority.

“The saddest part for me is that everybody in power is playing the blame game. Eskom also came back to us to say ‘no we gave them codes to roll out, we didn’t give them meter boxes to roll out’,” concluded Schrikker.