{"id":296486,"date":"2026-03-06T13:22:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?p=296486"},"modified":"2026-03-06T13:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:22:17","slug":"matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/","title":{"rendered":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eskom is accelerating the rollout of smart meters to power up to the Matjhabeng community with smarter, safer, and more reliable technology.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The smart meter rollout programme in the Free State has moved to Kutlwanong following engagements with the local leadership. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2 March Eskom is visiting customers in Kutlwanong for data collection and meter replacements. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meter replacements will be done in phases. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Customers with smart meters benefit from having real-time control of electricity usage<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Customers with smart meters benefit from having real-time control of electricity usage, accurate billing for post-paid customers and a seamless service experience. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, these customers can participate in Eskom’s demand response programme and will be able to load tokens remotely. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers are requested to grant Eskom officials access to their properties and to have all critical information readily available, including their Identity Documents and contact details. Eskom staff will be wearing Eskom protective clothing, will carry identification cards and will be driving Eskom-branded vehicles. For their own peace of mind, customers may request proof of their identity. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

All customers will receive a new smart meter at no cost.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

All customers will receive a new smart meter at no cost. Any electricity credit from their old meter will be transferred to the new meter. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a prepaid customer has not been buying electricity, they will be issued with a remedial charge of R6 052,60. Although the meter will be changed immediately, electricity will not be switched on until the remedial charge has been paid in full. Should a tamper on the newly installed smart meter be detected, a remedial charge of R12 105,20 will be issued and prosecution under the Criminal Matters Amendments Acts will be considered. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Failure to pay the tamper fee or continuous tampering will result in the installation being removed.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Smart meters should not be tampered with<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Smart meters should not be tampered with as Eskom is able to monitor buying patterns real time. Customers should never give cash to any Eskom staff member or contractor. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All payments, including remedial charges, must only be made through the official Eskom bank account provided. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any suspicious behaviour should be reported to Eskom immediately at 08600 37566 or via the Eskom toll-free crime hotline on 0800 11 27 22.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eskom is accelerating the rollout of smart meters to power up to the Matjhabeng community with smarter, safer, and more reliable technology. The smart meter rollout programme in the Free […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":296560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"68","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"2026-03-05","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7970","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"Marti","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7970],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-296486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMatjhabeng to benefit from smart meters | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eskom is accelerating the rollout of smart meters to power up to the Matjhabeng community with smarter, safer, and more reliable technology. The smart meter rollout programme in the Free […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-06T11:22:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-06T11:22:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"713\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vista\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe\"},\"headline\":\"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-06T11:22:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-06T11:22:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":372,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/1smart-metre.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/\",\"name\":\"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/1smart-metre.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-06T11:22:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-06T11:22:17+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/1smart-metre.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/1smart-metre.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":713,\"caption\":\"Eskom is busy installing smart metres in Ku5lwanong\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe\",\"name\":\"Vista\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Vista\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/vista\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters | Vista","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters","og_description":"Eskom is accelerating the rollout of smart meters to power up to the Matjhabeng community with smarter, safer, and more reliable technology. The smart meter rollout programme in the Free […]","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2026-03-06T11:22:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-06T11:22:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":713,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vista","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vista","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/"},"author":{"name":"Vista","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe"},"headline":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters","datePublished":"2026-03-06T11:22:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-06T11:22:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/"},"wordCount":372,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/","name":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-06T11:22:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-06T11:22:17+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg","width":1200,"height":713,"caption":"Eskom is busy installing smart metres in Ku5lwanong"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-to-benefit-from-smart-meters\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Matjhabeng to benefit from smart meters"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe","name":"Vista","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Vista"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/vista\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1smart-metre.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":296290,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/future-ready-upgrade-can-be-useful-for-power-usage\/","url_meta":{"origin":296486,"position":0},"title":"Future-ready upgrade can be useful for power usage","author":"Vista","date":"27 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Eskom is implementing a smart meter rollout in the Free State, starting in Thabong. The new meters ensure real-time monitoring and accurate billing while enabling participation in demand response programs. Customers must provide access to their properties for installations and will incur fees for meter tampering. All transactions should be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eskom smart metre rollout","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1smart-metre.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1smart-metre.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1smart-metre.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1smart-metre.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1smart-metre.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56115,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/municipalities-urged-to-tend-to-eskom-debt-20221011\/","url_meta":{"origin":296486,"position":1},"title":"Municipalities urged to tend to Eskom debt","author":"Vista","date":"12 October 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Sixteen Free State municipalities, including Matjhabeng, jointly owe Eskom more than R17 billion for services rendered, as of August 2022.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ede3dc76cbd44a32a81bcbe2c659bce3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ede3dc76cbd44a32a81bcbe2c659bce3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ede3dc76cbd44a32a81bcbe2c659bce3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ede3dc76cbd44a32a81bcbe2c659bce3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ede3dc76cbd44a32a81bcbe2c659bce3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ede3dc76cbd44a32a81bcbe2c659bce3.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50577,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/eskom-warns-publich-to-be-wary-when-near-electricity-and-water-hazards-20231208\/","url_meta":{"origin":296486,"position":2},"title":"Eskom warns public to be wary when near electricity and water hazards","author":"Vista","date":"11 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Eskom in the Free State is aware of outages across the province following this week\u2019s storms and is systematically attending to faults.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a9750edb34fb4632aac31cfa54bba381.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a9750edb34fb4632aac31cfa54bba381.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a9750edb34fb4632aac31cfa54bba381.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a9750edb34fb4632aac31cfa54bba381.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a9750edb34fb4632aac31cfa54bba381.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79199,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/action-needed-regarding-sewage\/","url_meta":{"origin":296486,"position":3},"title":"‘action needed regarding sewage’","author":"Vista","date":"8 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"He warns that Matjhabeng faces a critical sewerage infrastructure crisis, with Kutlwanong among the most affected areas.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58918,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-vat-eskom-hof-toe-20200910\/","url_meta":{"origin":296486,"position":4},"title":"Matjhabeng vat Eskom hof toe","author":"Vista","date":"10 September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Matjhabeng vat Eskom hof toe Vista Die Matjhabeng-munisipaliteit (Vrystaatse Goudveld) sal die hooggeregshof op \u2019n dringende grondslag nader vir die nodige verligting, wat \u2019n kostebevel sal insluit, sou Eskom versuim om \u2019n onwettige beslaglegging op sy rekening terug te trek. Dit volg nadat Eskom Vrydag op die munisipaliteit se bankrekeninge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53394,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wesselsbron-secures-eskom-approval-for-load-curtailment-line-20230613\/","url_meta":{"origin":296486,"position":5},"title":"Wesselsbron secures Eskom approval for load curtailment line","author":"Vista","date":"14 June 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In a significant development, Eskom has approved an industrial electricity load curtailment line to support Wesselsbron Industries.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d23588cf825540169c9846f1b82b7d6b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d23588cf825540169c9846f1b82b7d6b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d23588cf825540169c9846f1b82b7d6b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d23588cf825540169c9846f1b82b7d6b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Vista","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296486"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=296486"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=296486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}