The Electricity Control Board (ECB) has declared that it is against the law for local authorities to block pre-paid meters due to arrears.

This statement follows complaints received by the Board regarding the blocking of pre-paid meters by local authorities for unpaid municipal accounts.

According to Petrus Johannes, the Acting CEO:

"In accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act, Act No 4 of 2007, and regulatory instruments such as the Economic Rules of 2016, discontinuation or termination of electricity supply must be carried out only for arrears related to the distribution and supply of electricity."

The ECB has emphasized that all policies and procedures of local authorities concerning electricity provision must align with the Electricity Act and its subordinate legislation.

Local authorities are required by law to provide a clear account of the customer's electricity account.

Community activist Shaun Gariseb expressed concern over the impact of these blockages on users and commended the ECB for clarifying the matter.

"While we have reservations regarding the hike approved by the ECB, it is crucial and necessary that the directive declaring the blockage of meters as illegal has been issued. This directive has been part of our recommendations since July 19th, 2023, to the City of Windhoek. We stated that the disconnection of prepaid electricity meters is illegal, and we referenced economic rule 3.4 1 and 5 issued by the Electricity Control Board, as well as regulation 20 issued by the Minister. Both of these rules, which are used under the Electricity Act, clearly state that it is illegal to disconnect households for bills other than electricity. Additionally, local authorities have been blocking meters for water bills, which is also addressed in our recommendations. Therefore, we welcome these developments."