Free electricity victory in court

Pietermaritzburg - Poor households, including those with prepaid meters, will now qualify for free basic electricity, thanks to a settlement reached in the Pietermaritzburg High Court last week.

The agreement involves the Electricity Action Group (EAG), a group of poor, elderly women, the Msunduzi Municipality, Eskom Holdings, the National Energy Regulator of SA, and the Minister of Energy.

The EAG and the women took on the energy giants with the aim of clarifying the rights of all indigent citizens to free electricity in Msunduzi.

In terms of the settlement agreement reached, authorities will implement a policy in which all indigent households in Msunduzi, including those with prepaid meters, now qualify for free basic electricity.

Where Eskom is the service provider under Msunduzi’s jurisdiction, the same applies.

Msunduzi also agreed to take steps by October 31 to assess and, where necessary, repair or replace prepaid meters that are dysfunctional.

In court papers, the EAG said people using prepaid meters were being discriminated against because they were unable to access the free basic electricity granted to residents using credit meters.

A poor household on a prepaid meter system paid R177.39 more than a credit meter system using the same electricity.

This battle has been continuing with the municipality for six years.

Seventy-year-old Kidwee Mofokeng, of Imbali, one of the women on behalf of whom the application was brought, said they were very pleased with the outcome.

“We have been fighting for this for many years. Finally we have been heard. This will ease our financial burden a great deal,” she said.