The power utility's spokesperson, Phenyo Letong, says the power utility, in 2019 alone, lost about R7.3 million in revenue in Pampierstad in the Phokwane Local Municipality only. He says they will be taking strict measures to curb further losses. Letong warned that those found to have tampered with meters will be disconnected and will only be reconnected when they have paid a penalty. 

Eskom is owed an estimated R43 billion by customers throughout the country - including municipalities such as Kamiesberg, Richtersveld, Tsantsabane and Emthanjeni in the Northern Cape. Letong has vowed that the power utility will also investigate ghost vending, which refers to the buying and selling of illegal electricity vouchers from illegal vendors.

"Eskom will be conducting meter audits in the area, and this entails checking if meters were bypassed or tampered with. Often customers tamper with meters so that they either register no electricity used or only a fraction of the energy consumed. The money paid by customers through ghost vending does not go to Eskom for maintenance of networks, but to ghost vending syndicates. We will also educate customers about the availability of Free Basic Electricity (FBE), and how they can apply from their local municipality," he adds.

Letong further alludes that "Eskom cannot afford to keep the lights burning while millions of customers are not paying for the electricity they consume.”

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