Cape Town — City Power in Joburg has announced it will extend operating hours and suspend penalties for non-vending customers.
In a statement, City Power said the extension would allow extra time to complete the metering upgrades ahead of the looming Token Identifier (TID) rollover project.
“While we are pleased that over 99% of our vending pre-paid meters have been duly upgraded, there’s still a handful of vending customers who are still outstanding,” City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena said.
Mangena added that there are now 1 001 customers who require upgrades with 562 in Alexandra where technicians report that customers are reluctant to do so. The majority of the customers are hesitant to give City Power access to their properties.
There are also 255 meters outstanding in Midrand, with difficulties locating some meters due to address issues. However, the City is working to resolve the issues through the normalisation programme. As a result, City Power announced it is extending its hours to address the backlog.
“From today (Thursday 21 November) our Service Delivery Centres across the City of Johannesburg will remain open until 7pm to address the backlog of meters that need upgrading. Our offices will also be open on Saturday and Sunday to allow our teams to continue attending to TID-related queries for an extended period,” Mangena said.
#TIDRollover #COJSmartMeters#CityPowerServices
3 days left: City Power extends working hours and suspends penalty fees for non-vending customers to fast-track meter upgrades. ^ZD pic.twitter.com/DkDIGIrsPT
— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) November 21, 2024
With three days left until the deadline, City Power has also increased the number of people working on the ground, with teams spread across areas to expedite the process.
Mangena added that those not vending have been granted a grace period until Sunday to resolve outstanding TID queries, which can cost up to R14 00 for a single-phase meter, and R30 00 for a three-phase meter.
“Given the present circumstances, City Power has decided to suspend the penalty fees, to ensure that each customer is accommodated,” Mangena said, stating that anyone who refused would be forced to pay the penalties.
City Power warned customers not to pay any technician, contractor or someone purporting to be from City Power, and those who make cash demands should be reported immediately.
City Power said the process was also an opportunity for those who had bypassed the meters with illegal connections to normalise their meters without facing a stiff fine.
Mangena said to date, over 4 100 households had normalised their prepaid meters and they would not face a fine.
Picture: Pixabay
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
