Overview

• The minister said 1.69 million customers, or roughly 8.5 million people, are affected, with cuts concentrated in poorer areas that he said appear discriminatory.
• Government and Eskom will scale up smart meters to preload free basic electricity directly to eligible households, bypassing municipal intermediaries.
• Only 483,000 of the 2.1 million customers who qualify for free basic electricity currently receive it, which officials link to weak indigent registers and funds being redirected by municipalities.
• Tamper fines and repayment terms will apply, with 70% of affected customers asked to commit to R500 per month for 12 months or a R6,000 lump sum, while exemptions will cover areas of extreme poverty.
• Implementation depends on Cabinet approval of distribution agency agreements and community cooperation, with resistance expected where illegal connections persist and some staff allegedly profit; a pricing-policy review is slated to conclude by the first quarter of next year.