The eThekwini Municipality has suspended its electricity debt relief programme, known as the Energy Management 80/20 credit control initiative, due to a critical shortage of electricity meters.

This decision was highlighted in the Audit Risk Committee (ARC) report presented to the Executive Committee (EXCO), which identified meter shortages as a significant operational challenge.The ARC noted that 48% of audit issues raised by Internal Audit had been resolved, while 52% remain unresolved.Similarly, only 41% of issues from the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) audit were addressed, with 59% still pending.The suspension has led to operational stagnation, including declining public participation and delays in application processing.

Misinterpretations of debt recovery policies have caused the vending system Suprima to cease collection once 60% of a customer's debt is collected, leading to unaccounted revenue and unresolved irregularities.Eight material irregularities remain under investigation, with four linked to potential financial loss and four to environmental or public harm.

City Manager Musa Mbhele confirmed that the programme’s suspension is directly tied to meter shortages and emphasized the need for systemic improvements to prevent recurring issues.