--- title: "‘It’s chaos’ — Eskom prepaid meter scramble leads to death in Soweto" description: "Eskom’s prepaid meter upgrade project has left communities scrambling as they attempt to meet Eskom’s 24 November deadline or face losing power and incurring heavy costs. One man died in Orlando, Soweto, on Thursday while waiting in a queue." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "POWER CRISIS" author: "Nkululeko Ndlovu and Bheki C. Simelane" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/nkululekoetaldailymaverick-co-za/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-21-its-chaos-eskom-prepaid-meter-scramble-leads-to-death-in-soweto/" published: "2024-11-21T23:03:34" updated: "2024-11-21T23:03:38" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 679 --- # ‘It’s chaos’ — Eskom prepaid meter scramble leads to death in Soweto > Eskom’s prepaid meter upgrade project has left communities scrambling as they attempt to meet Eskom’s 24 November deadline or face losing power and incurring heavy costs. One man died in Orlando, Soweto, on Thursday while waiting in a queue. By Nkululeko Ndlovu and Bheki C. Simelane · Published 22 November 2024, 01:03 SAST · Updated 22 November 2024, 01:03 SAST ## Key points - As tens of thousands of prepaid electricity users in Soweto scramble to meet Eskom's fast-approaching TID Rollover deadline, the chaos has tragically claimed a life, leaving many questioning whether the real power outage is in the utility's communication strategy. - Tens of thousands of prepaid electricity users in South Africa rush to meet Eskom's 24 November deadline for the Token Identification Rollover, amid reports of chaos and a tragic death in Soweto. - A 59-year-old man died while waiting in a long queue for meter upgrades, highlighting the urgent need for better communication from Eskom regarding the rollover project. - Eskom remains firm on the deadline, stating that those who fail to upgrade will face hefty installation costs, exacerbating the financial burden on poorer communities. - Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa insists the deadline is non-negotiable, dismissing calls for an extension despite widespread anxiety and logistical challenges faced by residents. ## Content Tens of thousands of prepaid electricity users are scrambling to meet the 24 November deadline for Eskom’s Token Identification (TID) Rollover project, with one death reported in Orlando, Soweto. Three days before the deadline, hundreds of people queued at Eskom offices in Soweto seeking help to upgrade their prepaid meters, stay on the grid and avoid heavy costs. About two million of the 6.9 million Eskom prepaid meters across South Africa have not yet been upgraded. ![meter final](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MeterFinal.jpg) #### **Shock and fear** Soweto resident Mlungisi Gumede (33), who queued with hundreds of people at the Orlando East Community Hall on Thursday, expressed shock after witnessing a man die in the queue. “I was standing a few metres away and suddenly saw a man fall from a chair,” said Gumede. “We initially thought he had just fainted.” Gumede joined the queue at 4am and said the man who died arrived at a similar time. There were hundreds of people in front of them. “He was in the 400s in the queue. You can imagine then if someone who was here so early was in the 400s…. It means many people slept here,” said Gumede. [SowetanLIVE](https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2024-11-21-electricity-upgrade-chaos-claims-mans-life/) reported that the dead man was 59-year-old Joseph Fikile Busakwe, who was in the queue to get his prepaid meter upgraded. **Read more:**[Two million Eskom prepaid meter users face power cut-off as recoding deadline looms](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-20-recoding-deadline-eskom-prepaid-meters/) Gumede, like others, expressed frustration with Eskom’s communication strategies. Residents complained that they only learned about the energy utility’s rollover project last week, despite Eskom and municipalities’ attempts to publicise the issue. “The whole exercise is chaos. Eskom failed to educate us and the deadline is very thin,” said Gumede. Nomalanga Mnyandu, a resident of Orlando, said it became clear a few days ago that interest in upgrading electricity meters had grown drastically. “What a sad, sad thing. The poor man did not say goodbye when he left home this morning because he was certain he would return,” said Mnyandu. ![Soweto residents queue to recode prepaid meters at Orlando Communal Hall on 21 November. (Photo: Fani Mahuntsi / Gallo Images)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/XtyngJipAXg26XgDEjovy-O4ifs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ED_535854.jpg) *Soweto residents queue to recode prepaid meters at Orlando Communal Hall on 21 November. (Photo: Fani Mahuntsi / Gallo Images)* Wayne Duvenage, the chief executive officer of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, said the chaos linked to Eskom’s rollover was a reflection of the state's inability to attend to matters timeously. “It’s like you wait for the last minute and then everybody rushes around. But that is a challenge that falls squarely in the lap of government,” he said. “They’ve got to understand the behaviours of the public and how to manage their way around it. It’s a serious problem.” #### **Sluggish queues and anxiety** Eskom has [remained unrelenting](https://www.eskom.co.za/immediate-action-required-customers-must-recode-pre-paid-meters-before-the-due-date-of-24-november-2024-eskoms-6-9-million-pre-paid-meters-are-ready-to-enable-the-process/) in the face of calls to move the 24 November deadline to accommodate those who missed the announcement. The power utility has announced that those who have not recoded their meters by Sunday will not be able to load new electricity tokens and will be required to pay R12,000 for the installation of new meters. “It’s ludicrous for them to expect the public to pick up a cost of this nature. They can’t afford it,” said Duvenage. “Especially the market that is on prepaid, which is generally … the poorer communities.” “The queues are endless, the process is sluggish and the scene is chaotic,” said Nomthadazo Xulu, from Orlando in Soweto. “People are anxious and are afraid that they might wake up to no power on Monday.” **‘Not extendable’** During [his visit to Diepkloof on Thursday](https://x.com/Kgosientsho_R/status/1859559807251853409), Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the deadline couldn’t be moved. “It’s not extendable — it’s a technical issue. We can’t extend it. It’s a hard stop. On November 24 if you have not recoded, you are sitting with a different problem. Beyond November 24 we have to physically remove the meter and that comes at a cost,” [SowetanLIVE](https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2024-11-21-electricity-upgrade-chaos-claims-mans-life/) quoted the minister as saying. He suggested that some of those queuing at Eskom’s offices were trying to deal with other electricity issues. He said those without pre-paid meters must return to the offices next week, assuring them that the 24 November ultimatum would not affect this group. **DM**