Merafong’s energy poverty crisis deepens

AI Summary

Merafong, a South African municipality, is experiencing a deepening energy poverty crisis exacerbated by prepaid metering systems that require residents to pay upfront for electricity. Low-income communities are particularly vulnerable, often going without power when they cannot afford prepayments. The crisis highlights systemic inequities in South Africa's electricity distribution model.

Under prepaid metering systems, customers must pay upfront for electricity before they can use it