Business

City Power Halts Prepaid Meter Rollout After Shocking Discovery in Joburg

Published

2 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Chiraag

prepaid electricity meter problem Johannesburg, City Power prepaid suspension, illegal connections Joburg, City Power meter audits, non-vending electricity meters, Joburg ETC

A rollout derailed

Johannesburg’s ongoing shift from postpaid to prepaid electricity meters has hit a major roadblock. City Power has suspended all new conversions after uncovering worrying irregularities in how some prepaid meters are operating.

Instead of helping residents buy and manage their electricity more efficiently, some newly installed meters simply stopped vending. In plain terms, customers were unable to buy units at all. For a city already battling outages, tampering, and illegal hookups, the discovery raised red flags.

Why the pause matters

City Power explained that the suspension is temporary but necessary. A task team has been set up to investigate the problem, with findings expected in two months. No new meter conversions will take place until 1 November 2025, although existing postpaid and prepaid customers can continue using their current meters without disruption.

The pause is also meant to tighten revenue protection standards. For years, illegal connections and tampering have drained City Power’s finances while overloading the grid and damaging expensive equipment like transformers and mini-substations. These aren’t quick fixes either. Replacements cost millions and often take weeks to source.

A bigger crisis in the city

The problems around prepaid meters are unfolding alongside backlash over new fixed charges on prepaid accounts introduced last year. Many residents feel squeezed by higher bills, while others are accused of dodging payments altogether.

City Power has grown increasingly tough in response. In August, it refused to restore supply in certain areas unless at least 80% of residents could prove they were buying electricity legitimately. That meant door-to-door audits, checking receipts, and confirming purchases with approved vendors.

Customers who couldn’t show consistent proof of purchasing units were left without supply. In some cases, the utility made it clear that electricity would remain off indefinitely if residents refused to cooperate.

What residents should know

For now, households with existing prepaid or postpaid meters don’t need to panic. They can continue buying units as normal. What’s on hold are the conversions for customers still scheduled to move from postpaid to prepaid.

City Power has urged all customers to keep proper receipts of monthly electricity purchases, warning that small, once-off transactions are not enough to prove compliance. Regular, consistent purchases are what matter.

A long road ahead

Johannesburg’s power struggles aren’t new, but the prepaid meter hiccup has added another layer of frustration for both the utility and its customers. On one hand, prepaid systems are meant to simplify usage and cut losses. On the other, they’ve exposed deeper issues of tampering, theft, and poor accountability.

As City Power works to fix the flaws in its system, the bigger question lingers: how does a city as large and complex as Joburg balance fair access with the need to clamp down on theft? The next few months, and the task team’s findings, may shape the answer.