SOWETO residents said Eskom should fix its problems before demanding money from them.
This after Eskom revealed that Soweto residents owe R17 billion.
Eskom’s chief financial officer, Calib Cassim, said the debt was mostly due to non-compliance, with most residents resisting prepaid meter installation.
Eskom has installed 80 000 prepaid meters in Soweto.
Mandla Mahapa (53) from Orlando East said: “We won’t pay as long as they continue to force prepaid meters on us and don’t fix their issues with billing.”
Sibusiso Nkosi (42) from Diepkloof zone 6 said: “A lot of people here are unemployed.
“We’re not entirely opposed to prepaid, but the flat rate system is unfair.”
Busi Dhlamini (65) from Diepkloof zone 1 said: “You plug in the kettle and watch money go down the drain. It’s not affordable.”
Other residents blamed mushrooming squatter camps for the high bills.
They claimed that they work hard to pay bills, but squatter camp people use electricity for free.
Josiah Mazibuko (72) from Pimville zone 6 said he makes an effort not to waste electricity.
“My average electricity bill is about R800. It pains me that I pay that much for electricity while some people abuse it for free.”
