Tenants at Palm Court rental flats in Sunnyside are at odds with the property managers, MidCity Property Agency, over the planned installation of electricity smart meters scheduled to start on Monday.
They expressed their dissatisfaction over the electricity smart meters on Monday during a march led by a group of EFF members in ward 81.
Marchers said the installation of meters by a private agency would spell disaster for them as they were likely to be overcharged for their consumption of electricity.
One of the EFF activists, Buhle Ndovela, said tenants had all along been receiving utility bills from the City of Tshwane and were in favour of the status quo remaining.
Their fear is that putting a private entity in charge of administering electricity billing could see them being forced to pay exorbitant amounts for their monthly power consumption.
Ndovela said: “We don’t want those private companies to install the meters because it seems like they are going to rob us. Tenants are fine with the way the City of Tshwane is charging them.”
She said tenants in other buildings where private companies were in charge of water and electricity billing, were always unhappy with their utility bills.
“For example, if you have outstanding bills for water they make sure that they deduct that outstanding amount the moment you purchase electricity, which leaves you with small electricity units,” she said.
Disgruntled tenants also called for MidCity to notify them in advance before any electricity disconnection for non-payments.
They also griped about a lack of formal communication concerning all matters pertaining to their building.
“We oppose installation of private metering within our building. We are content with the existing arrangement with the City of Tshwane and we wish to maintain this system,” they said in a memorandum.
EFF councillor Benjamin Mathebula said: “If our demands are not met within seven days we are going to remobilise ourselves and now we are going to force ourselves into your offices and shut you down.”
MidCity manager, Derrick Groenewald, who received the memorandum, said: “I take note of the memorandum. We will give attention to it and we will come back to you as soon as possible.”
Pretoria News