Eskom's deadline to update prepaid electricity meters unrealistic, say anxious Soweto residents

JOHANNESBURG - Hundreds of Soweto residents are still queuing outside Eskom's customer service hub in Zola to update their prepaid meters as the deadline looms.

Prepaid users have until Sunday to update their meters as the current meters will stop accepting electricity tokens.

ALSO READ:

• Drive to upgrade prepaid meters will also help Eskom with revenue protection - Ramokgopa

• Residents urged to upgrade prepaid meters as deadline looms

Frustrated customers said the utility's deadline was unrealistic, complaining that Eskom provided insufficient support and guidance in the lead-up to it.

Sunday's cut-off means that once the current credit on a user's prepaid meter runs out, the meter will become inoperable, and power will be lost.

To fix this, customers would need to buy a replacement meter costing R12,000, a cost many say they cannot afford.

Seventy-year-old Josephine Kabayi, a pensioner and grant recipient, shared her concerns.

"How will I pay that money? How will I pay it? It's difficult, I'm stressed."

With the deadline looming, many queuing in Soweto said the experience had been unbearable and was exacerbated by the scorching weather.