A South African couple hopes to launch a “pay later” prepaid electricity concept aimed at helping households keep the lights on when electricity runs out before month-end. WattWallet, founded in 2025 by Keagan and Zhaida Juries, is a pilot project designed to offer households a small, short-term electricity advance that can be repaid at month-end with a modest service fee. “The idea is a pilot project where households who run out of prepaid electricity before month-end can get a small electricity advance to keep the lights on.
The advance would be paid back at month-end with a small service fee and under clear rules,” said Juries. Unlike traditional fintech platforms, WattWallet is designed as a lightweight, text-based system rather than a data-heavy smartphone application, reflecting the realities of users with limited access to smartphones or mobile data. Julies said they have built the working prototype and designed core app functions.
While the platform is not yet live, he said the focus is on planning and compliance before launching any transactions. “I’m focused on planning it properly, setting limits, writing the rules and making sure it’s fair and responsible before anything starts,” he said. “I’m doing this as a test to see if people need it, if they follow the rules and if the idea can work in real life.” As part of the pilot, the founders conducted a survey among 75 households in their community in Cape Town.
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According to Juries, 84% of respondents said a small electricity buffer would help them while 9.3% said it would be somewhat helpful. When asked why they typically run out of electricity 38.7% cited unavailable funds, 30.7% unexpected use, 14.7% forgetting to buy electricity and 14.7% said they do not closely monitor use. “Most households don’t run out of electricity because they’re irresponsible.
They run out because life happens before month-end,” said Juries. Based on the findings WattWallet has launched aBackaBuddy campaignto fund a 30-day prepaid electricity pilot. “The funds raised will be used to run a one-month community pilot, covering electricity buffers for participating households and basic operating costs. The pilot will allow us to test whether the idea works in real life before building anything bigger,” said Juries.
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