The Newcastle Municipality is set to embark on an initiative to reduce electricity distribution losses. This is while improving service delivery and revenue collection.
This is according to an official public notice by the government entity, which explained that one such initiative is the TID (The Token Identifier) Rollover.
The public notice reads, “On 24 November 2024, all prepayment meters installed in the Newcastle Local Municipality (and in South Africa) will stop dispensing electricity. The technical remedy is to reset each meter by means of entering two special tokens (key change tokens) before November 2024.”
The Municipality elaborated further stating that this requires an authorised technician instructed from the Newcastle Municipality to audit all stands, including prepaid electricity and water meters to perform this remedy.
The Newcastle Municipality is set to embark on this process in February 2023 – and will start visiting each meter to ensure completion by the looming November 2024 deadline.
“We hereby urge all prepaid electricity meter customers to allow access to the authorised field workers to perform such audits and to ensure every household has someone available to assist the municipal representative,” explained the Newcastle Municipality’s notice.
Reflecting on the above-mentioned, Cllr Meiring explained the Newcastle Municipality intends to be proactive and ensure residents who rely on prepaid meters, don’t find themselves in a difficult situation come November 2024. Whereby they will be unable to load electricity on their prepaid meters anymore.
“The fact that the Municipality wants to do this well in advance is appreciated, because for such an important issue, they can’t wait until the last moment and the residents sit without electricity. It also gives the Municipality enough time to sort out any challenges with the resetting,” said Cllr Meiring.
With several Newcastle residents relying on the prepaid meters, Cllr Meiring assured that the Newcastle Municipality would send a sms before coming to the respective residents’ homes.
As the Newcastle Municipality takes proactive steps to deal with the above-mentioned? Share your views in the comment section below.
It been almost 2 years now waiting for the municipality to come and install prepaid meter in my house, any update when can we expect to get this prepaid meter?
I Stay In Ladysmith, & This Sound More To Me Like A Snake In The Grass. Like The Lady Lando, Who Is Waiting For 2 Years For A Prepaid Meter. & How Do The Municipality Have Each Household, Town House Complexes & Flats Complexes Phone Numbers. What If The Owners Passed Away Or Moved Overseas. Adjustments For What. If Eskom Is The 1 That Decides That Electricity Increase Or Decrease. Wich We Know They Increase & Increase & Never Reduce The Electricity. They Increase It To Steal More Money In Their Pockets. & The Consumers Who Is Working Hard, Is Losing All The Way. Get Rid Of The Corrupt Managers, Ceo’s & Workers, & Get New Honest Hard Workers That Know How To Run Eskom. Enough Is Enough.