South Africans Face Fines and Criminal Charges for Illegal Prepaid Electricity

Johannesburg residents and businesses have been warned: buying or selling illegal prepaid electricity units could land you with heavy fines or even criminal charges.

City Power, the metro’s electricity distributor, is cracking down on so-called ghost vendors — individuals selling illicit prepaid tokens outside official channels. These transactions not only undermine the integrity of the city’s power grid but also threaten service delivery to paying customers.

“We strongly condemn both the sale and purchase of illicit electricity units,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.
“These transactions are illegal, invalid, and pose serious risks to customers, including service disruptions and potential legal consequences.”

The warning follows the appearance of social media adverts offering discounted electricity. City Power has ramped up efforts to shut down these illegal operations, which have become increasingly sophisticated and widespread.

Eskom Also Tightens the Screws

National utility Eskom has echoed the warning, noting that over 1.7 million prepaid electricity meters appear to have been bypassed or illegally loaded. While the official meter update deadline passed on 24 November 2024, Eskom extended a grace period until 13 December 2024 for users to regularize their accounts without penalty.

Customers who failed to comply could now face:

• Tamper fines of up to R12,000

• Criminal charges for repeat offences

• Disconnection of electricity supply

“Eskom has been running its most recent campaigns over the last 18 months appealing to electricity users to do what is right by buying electricity from legal vendors,” the utility said in a statement.

Who Are the ‘Zero Buyers’?

Eskom has labelled individuals who use power without paying — either through meter bypassing or purchasing ghost tokens — as “zero buyers”, though a more accurate term might be electricity thieves. These users contribute to load-shedding pressures and drain the financial resources of the power utility.

The utility suspects some users are:

• Consuming power through tampered or bypassed meters

• Using tokens from illegal vendors

• Living in areas where meters have been officially disconnected

• Stockpiling electricity in ways inconsistent with block tariffs

Final Warning to Offenders

As of 14 December 2024, Eskom and City Power have committed to aggressively auditing meters and issuing fines. Customers still using illegal electricity could also face prosecution.

Authorities urge the public to purchase prepaid electricity only through authorised vendors and report suspected fraud.

“These illegal practices threaten the long-term sustainability of electricity services and hurt everyone,” Mangena added.

{Source: My Broad Band}

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