The City’s compulsory electricity meter replacement programme has moved on to the Southern Suburbs for residential customers. It will be active in areas such as Claremont, Kenilworth, Wynberg, Bishops Court, Constantia, Plumstead, Southfield and Diep River over the next few months until December.

City teams are also deployed across the city to assist commercial customers. This initiative replaces old credit meters with prepaid meters and some old prepaid meters with new smart prepaid meters – at no cost.

Customers will receive either a letter or a phone call when it’s their turn. Residents can confirm the authenticity of the arrangement by phoning the City’s Call Centre on 0860 103 089 or send an email to electricitycustomer.support@capetown.gov.za.

The installation itself only takes about one hour.

The Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, has dispelled the rumour that electricity costs increase due to the new meter being installed.

“The meters do not supply electricity, they just measure usage. The new meters make it easier for residents to manage their electricity costs as they can see their usage in real-time. Importantly, they allow qualifying residents the opportunity to switch to the affordable subsidised Lifeline Tariff, which includes Free Basic Electricity units.”

Limberg says the free conversion to the new meter is compulsory, but customers on credit meters opting against taking up a prepaid meter can apply for an AMI meter at their own cost to retain postpaid functions.

Areas affected between July and December 2026:

Residential MRP programme rollout:

Commercial MRP programme rollout:

The City is also making appointments with residents in areas already visited to attend to some outstanding meters.

Limberg has emphasised that the new meters give accurate readings, reducing any potential billing issues, while allowing eligible households to benefit from the subsidised Lifeline Tariff.

To ensure that you are on our target list, residents are asked to submit a completed application form requesting installation of a new prepaid meter to electricitycustomer.support@capetown.gov.za.

A reminder that City-employed contractors are required to carry staff IDs that indicate they are City of Cape Town contractors and drive vehicles which are clearly marked. Customers can also call the City’s Call Centre on 086 010 3089 to check if it is a legitimate works notice.

Read more about the meter replacement programme on the City’s website: Meter Replacement FAQ

If your area was previously upgraded with new meters, but you missed out, call 0860 103 089 to discuss the options. Areas which were targeted earlier this year include Mowbray, Rosebank, Rondebosch, Rondebosch East, Newlands and Mitchells Plain.

Suburbs Visited in 2025 include Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory, Cape Town City Centre, Gardens, District Six, Foreshore, Vredehoek and Tamboerskloof.