Eskom Completes Prepaid Meter Upgrade, Urges 1.7 Million 'Zero Buyers' To Transition Before Deadline

Eskom on Wednesday announced the successful completion of its prepaid meter upgrade project and was now urging around 1.7 million "zero buyers" to upgrade their meters before the deadline.

The power utility has converted about 400,000 former "zero buyers" into paying customers through the technology update. All prepayment meters must be upgraded to the Key Revision Number version 2 (KRN 2) because the current STS technology will no longer accept new credit tokens.

The move was made due to the expiration of the vending codes. As a result, the meters will stop providing electricity once the current credit was used up, rendering the meter inactive.

This upgrade project provided valuable data that will help bring more "zero buyers" into the legitimate system for purchasing electricity, according to Eskom's Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, during a media briefing in Cape Town on Wednesday, SA News reported.

"Eskom has successfully completed its prepaid meter Key Revision Number (KRN) rollover project. Starting off with a customer base of 6.91 million prepaid customers, all customers have been converted to KRN 2," Marokane said.

"A data cleaning exercise fully updated the incomplete details of 341,000 customers to bring Eskom's base to 7.25 million. As of 24 November 2024, approximately 5.5 million customers (which includes the around 400 000 zero buyers, who have become paying customers) have successfully rolled over and are transacting on KRN 2."

Eskom noticed a drop in the number of "zero buyers," now at around 1.7 million, down from the previous average of 2.1 million. The power utility was asking these customers to upgrade their meters by Dec. 13 at their nearest Eskom site.

Customers who purchased electricity before the deadline but couldn't load their meters should bring their slips or tokens to the nearest Eskom Hub for assistance, without waiting for the last day.

"Zero buyers" with issues like a lost, bypassed or tampered meter should visit Eskom centers by the same deadline. Eskom will assess their cases, issue tamper fines if necessary, and schedule meter updates or replacements.

In the past 10 days, Eskom has seen many "zero buyers" come forward to buy electricity and resolve their issues. The power utility will continue to treat these customers respectfully as they address their concerns.

Eskom also acknowledged that the process has been complex and challenging at times. They were actively monitoring and stabilizing the system to ensure a smoother experience for customers, according to Eskom's Group Executive for Distribution, Monde Bala.