Why There Are Few Devotions
2026-07-23
🔑 Taking A Beak from Writing Devotions
One of the principal reasons for taking a break from writing devotions is the financial and emotional strain caused by changes to the property where I live.
For many years, my rent included electricity. Following the installation of prepaid electricity meters, tenants became responsible for purchasing electricity separately. Despite this significant change, my rent was not reduced to reflect the removal of a service that had previously formed part of the rental agreement.
From my perspective, this effectively increased my monthly housing costs because I am now paying both the original rental amount and the full cost of my electricity usage.
I believe it would have been fair to consider a rental rebate or adjustment to compensate for the removal of the electricity benefit that had previously been included.
I also observed that not all tenants appeared to be treated equally following the installation of the prepaid system. One household received a monthly electricity rebate of approximately R300, while my immediate next door neighbour and I did not receive any comparable rebate. In addition, another tenant appeared not to have received a prepaid electricity meter at all and, to the best of my knowledge, continued using electricity under the previous arrangement.
These are matters that I have personally observed, and they have contributed significantly to my financial stress. Should it become necessary to pursue any formal dispute or legal remedy in the future, this article serves as a contemporaneous record of my experiences, observations and concerns as they existed at the time of writing.
🔑 Why I Am Recording This
This article is not intended to attack or defame any individual. It is simply an honest record of the circumstances that have affected my health, finances and ability to continue my regular devotional writing.
I believe it is important to document significant events while they are still fresh in my memory. If any dispute is later referred to the Rental Housing Tribunal or another appropriate authority, this article may assist in establishing a timeline of events and the impact those events had on my daily life.
Everything stated here reflects either my personal observations or my honestly held opinions based on those observations.
🔑 The Financial Reality
The following statements are a factual record of the circumstances as I understand them on 23 July 2026.
- Julian’s mother received a monthly electricity rebate of R300 following the installation of prepaid electricity meters.
- Another neighbour (same stand) did not receive an equivalent rebate.
- This same neighbour continues to pay R1,500 in monthly rent and is also responsible for purchasing prepaid electricity.
- Yet another chap (also on the same stand) does not have a prepaid electricity meter installed and, to the best of my knowledge, continues to pay R1,500 per month under the previous electricity arrangement.
- I don’t get a rebate either These differences have had a direct financial impact on our household.
From my perspective, tenants occupying similar accommodation should be treated consistently unless there is a legitimate reason for different arrangements. At the time of writing, no explanation has been provided to me that accounts for these differences.
I am recording these facts because they have contributed to financial hardship, emotional stress, and ultimately my decision to suspend writing my daily devotions. This article is also intended to provide a dated record of the circumstances as they existed on 23 July 2026 should I need to refer to them in any future discussions or proceedings. The prepaid meters were installed on 22 October 2025