- The City of Cape Town has refuted claims from Lavender Hill residents that new electricity meters are causing higher electricity costs.
- City officials suggest political instigation is fueling these protest.
- The 7945 Community Action Group denies such allegations.
Allegations of new electricity meters installed in Lavender Hill using residents’ electricity areHey Y false and unfounded, says the City of Cape Town.
The statement comes after Lavender Hill residents handed a list of demands over and took to the streets in protest against high electricity costs, which they claimed was a result of the recently installed meters (“Dump new electricity meters call”, People’s Post 10 September).
ALSO READ: Lavender Hill residents demand removal of new meter boxes amid soaring electricity costs
However, in a statement last week, Mayco member for energy Xanthea Limberg claimed there appeared to be a political instigation involved. “There appears to be political instigation and deliberate misinformation being spread by a small group of individuals on electricity meter-related cases in some communities, such as Lavender Hill and Hanover Park.” She added the new meters do not cause electricity costs to rise.
she said.
“The cost of the older and new meters is exactly the same, but where tampered or defective meters have been replaced with new ones customers will notice a change in their purchasing patterns, as they will be making accurate payments towards their electricity consumption.” She further explained only 26,6% of the meters checked were found to have been tampered with.
‘Political affiliations’
“What has sparked the mobilisation has been the City’s standard metro-wide meter functionality investigations, which found that only 26,6% of the checked 939 electricity meters in Lavender Hill have either been tampered with or bypassed,” she said. “We’ve had numerous engagements about electricity costs and alleged illegal meter tampering with the 7945 Community Action Group, which appears to have political affiliations, in the Lavender Hill area in particular. We’ve also engaged them in writing and responded to their demands.”
ALSO READ: Lavender Hill residents protest high electricity tariffs, demand fair treatment
Demands
- The list of demands included the “scrapping of all electricity debt” including fines “given illegally”.
- To provide information on public participation concerning the “installation of new electricity boxes”.
- To stop all contractors from installing illegal electricity boxes in the communities.
Meanwhile, the City has warned that criminal cases will be opened against any group or individual who threatens City staff and contractors from performing their official duties.
said Limberg. “By far, most of our customers are not tampering or bypassing in this area.”
READ: The latest print edition of the People’s Post here
‘Different parties in area’
Responding to the City’s claims of political instigation, Mark Schrikker from 7945 Action Group, said it was untrue. “They are saying it is political, and there are different parties living in this community but they are putting their political regalia aside,” he commented.
Schrikker claimed that the City is yet to give his group evidence of meter tampering.
“The City is blowing hot air and moving the meter issue around.”
Commenting on threats to City staff and contractors, Schrikker said contractors were allowed into the area.
At a community meeting in Lavender Hill on Wednesday 21 August, residents shared how survival was a struggle due to high electricity costs.
Apostle Dorothy Soetwater (59), a Lavender Hill community leader on a disability grant, said they simply could not afford the electricity costs. “We are really struggling. We can’t survive.”
