“Don’t Pay”: Limpopo Man Slapped With R6K Eskom Bill After Months Without Buying Prepaid Electricity

• A Limpopo man shared his frustration online after Eskom blocked his prepaid electricity meter and instructed him to pay R6,055 at Shoprite to have it reconnected
• Tshisa Mahlangu Fhulufhelo explained that he had never tampered with the meter box but was penalised simply because he lives away for work and last purchased electricity earlier in the year
• South Africans flooded the comments section with advice and suspicion, with many questioning why the R6,055 amount was written by hand on his official printout

A Limpopo homeowner sparked a heated conversation online after revealing that Eskom blocked his prepaid electricity meter and demanded a R6,055 payment to restore his power—despite him never tampering with the box. Tshisa Mahlangu Fhulufhelo took to Facebook on 12 November 2026 to vent his frustration after visiting the Eskom offices in Thohoyandou. Alongside his post, he shared a photo of a printed account lookup slip with "R6,055" written in pen at the bottom. According to Fhulufhelo, officials told him he had to pay the hefty fine at Shoprite before his prepaid meter would be unblocked. What left him particularly baffled was the reason given for the penalty: he had gone months without buying electricity.

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Working away from home led to infrequent purchases

Fhulufhelo explained that because he works in Thohoyandou while his house is located in Tshirolwe, Nzhelele, he is rarely at home. As a result, his electricity units last much longer than those of an average household, which is why he had not needed to buy tokens since earlier in the year. He insisted that he had never tampered with the meter box and questioned the fairness of penalising prepaid customers who buy electricity in bulk—such as R2,000 worth of units—and use it sparingly over six months. Adding to his frustration, he pointed out that he already pays over R8,000 in income tax, making the sudden R6,055 so-called arrears charge on a prepaid account even harder to swallow.

See the man's Facebook post below:

Mzansi reacts with suspicion and advice

The post quickly drew reactions from fellow South Africans, many of whom were alarmed by the handwritten figure on the document and urged him to challenge the charge.

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Makana Madzhie advised:

"Take them to court if you still have proof of purchase of the R2000 amount."

Ndivhuwo Mudau suggested:

"You need to buy at least R5 worth of electricity."

Nonjabulo Tricia Kekana claimed:

"Yeah, it means you have the ghost electricity."

Nditsheni Nedzanani Mbedzi asked:

"Why is the amount written by hand? Something fishy here."

Tebogo Vivian Rahube

"They must investigate. Don't just pay, fight."

Other articles about electricity

• A Johannesburg content creator won praise online after sharing a clear guide breaking down what constitutes low, medium, and high monthly electricity unit consumption for households.
• Briefly News reported that young primary school learners showcased their complete electricity connection technology project, impressing many viewers.
• A woman living in the estate next to the Union Buildings shared a video showing the massive official government structure completely dark at 3 AM, sparking an online debate.

Source: Briefly News