This is What will happen to those who breach Eskom meter upgrade deadline

Eskom has introduced a new deadline for customers with outdated prepaid electricity meters to switch to the KRN2 system. These "zero buyers," who either bypass payment systems or purchase electricity illegally, have until 13 December 2024 to comply or risk disconnection. Fines and other penalties will still apply for non-compliance, Eskom said.

After the initial 24 November 2024 deadline, Eskom managed to convert around 400,000 zero buyers to paying customers. However, 1.7 million of the original 2.1 million non-vending meters remain unresolved.

Eskom’s strategy aims to reduce illegal electricity use, tampering, and non-payment. While Eskom expects all zero buyers to comply by the new deadline, it has stated, “We hope that (by) the deadline, all the customers may at least have made their meters KRN2 compliant.” Beyond this date, Eskom will focus on enforcing penalties, addressing fines, replacing meters, and disconnecting non-compliant users.

City Power, Johannesburg’s power utility, has extended its own conversion deadline to 31 May 2025. Technically, KRN1 meters can still be updated to KRN2 if the necessary codes are available.

Penalties and Costs

Eskom is also targeting illegal power users with hefty fines to encourage them to switch to paying systems. The utility warns that tampered meters could result in a replacement cost of R12,000. For illegal connections, fines of R6,000 are applied, and reconnection only occurs after these fines are paid.

City Power has waived tampering penalties until 30 November to help customers reconnect quickly, while the City of Tshwane has introduced a R29,000 tamper fee for meters found operating illegally. Tshwane also allows customers to make payment agreements at customer care offices to resolve their status.

The issue of unpaid electricity is a major financial burden, costing municipalities and Eskom over R2 billion per month, or R24 billion annually. Eskom CEO Dan Marokane emphasized the importance of these efforts, stating, “(This) in the interest of those who already pay for electricity, maintain the sustainability of Eskom to drive the economic growth of South Africa and reduce our burden on the taxpayer.”