The Tshwane metro has no checks in place to assure that meter agents are accredited and trustworthy.
According to councillor Adriana Randall, who serves on the council’s financial committee, it recently came to light there exists a loophole in control over the bulk electricity service providers, often ending up in them defaulting in their payments leaving residents facing the consequences.
“Residents sit with the mess. They receive letters of final demand and in many cases are not protected from legal action in such circumstances,” says Cllr Randall.
“The metro is losing money at a very fast rate and although this is not the largest cause of the council’s financial headaches, it is definitely not helping.”
According to answers to a set of questions she submitted to council recently, the metro has no clue as to how many meter agents it currently has on its books. “It is exactly here where agents of specifically blocks of flats and security complexes can default and there is no one who can take them on legally. Residents themselves will be held responsible.”
She also says body corporates in these complexes often neglect to record an official resolution to change to a private electrical service provider, leaving the residents vulnerable.
“If the resolutions are officially recorded, the body corporate then has the right, as the owners of the property and with tenants’ proxy to take legal action against the defaulting metering agent.”
The Cllr also adds that without the metro accrediting metering agents first, there is no guarantee that fly by night metering agents would not run off with resident’s money, before turning it over to the metro.
The metro has now indicated that they have woken up to this fact. The metro says it has received a number of complaints in this regard and the energy and electricity department has initiated an audit exercise to evaluate all metering agents.
In a step to protect residents and property owners alike, the metro now requires an official signed copy of the body corporate’s resolution to change to private electricity providers, a notice of intention to the residents and that the previous owner’s account is fully paid up.
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