How prepaid works

THERE are more than four million prepaid electricity consumers countrywide.

Many landlords and body corporates have had prepaid electricity meters installed at premises they manage.

Private property owners can ask their local municipalities to remove the electricity meters, which measure the power used so they can be billed accordingly, and have prepaid meters installed instead.

After the changes are done, the municipality will hand over a prepaid electricity card and electronic reader to the consumer.

The consumer uses the card at garages, Easypay outlets and other places to buy electricity.

Tokens

The outlets provide consumers with electricity tokens to use.

The digits on the tokens must be punched into the plugged-in device.

The device can also be used to check the electricity balance. READERS on our Facebook page said they were not getting a fair deal with prepaid electricity when we asked whether it was value for money.

Tina Naidoo: “We are not getting value for money.”

Ronisha Ramauthar: “For R200 you get 124kw.”

Ashveer Cheychal Durwan: “The money we pay and the amount we get is ridiculous.”

Inba Ganesan: “Prepaid is a rip-off with no savings.”

Elaine Gavarana: “It is a rip-off.”

Beera Ray Dookran: “I’m in East London. We get 52kw for R100. Why is the kw different in every town?” ELECTRICITY and airtime tokens are like “chalk and cheese”, say those who sell them.

“If one spends R120 on airtime, one will get R120 worth of airtime. That is not the case when one buys (prepaid) electricity,” said a garage and convenience store owner who declined to be named.

He said he sold prepaid electricity as a “convenience” to customers, making less than R2 on every R100 token sold.

“I dont know where the other charges go to,” he said when these were pointed out by a POST reporter. “I didn’t know the electricity charges were so steep.”

He said while the sale of electricity tokens amounted to a loss for his business, items such as milk and bread kept the tills ringing.

Another garage owner, who also declined to be named, concurred.

“I operate from a suburb north of Durban. Most people buy electricity for R10 to R50 at a time.” he said.

“I make nothing from the electricity sales.

“I regard the sale of the electricity tokens as a service to the residents and others.’’