Gweru City Council says it will soon roll out prepaid water meters in all residential and industrial areas, as the local authority seeks to maximise its water revenue collection and reduce the default rate on bills.
by Stephen Chadenga
The move comes as the council is owed $24 million by residents, government departments and the business community in unpaid water bills.
Residents owe $8,19m, industry ($7,8m), government ($6,7m) and the commercial sector ($1,05m).
“We are looking for partners so that soon we start installing prepaid water meters,” acting town clerk, Edgar Mwedzi said last week.
“Since we don’t have the financial resources ourselves, we intend to enter into an agreement with a partner, who will take up the project [prepaid water meters installation] and then he or she would recover their money from payments made in purchasing water.”
Mwedzi said the move was intended to deal with the problem of defaulters, corruption and revenue leakages, as well as enhancing service delivery.
But Gweru Residents and Ratepayers’ Association chairperson, Cornelia Selipiwe, threatened to mobilise against the programme, saying the move was inhuman.
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“This is not a wise move looking at the already financially constrained residents and, in any case, who will pay for the gadgets? Water is a right and and we would appreciate if they could first do a test programme with the business community,” she said
Selipiwe said if council went on with the proposal, residents would mobilise and stage protests against an “unAfrican and good for the elite move”.
Last year, Shurugwi rolled out 3 000 water meters at households and business premises, with the local authority saying the move was the only solution to the water problems faced by the mining town.
Harare and Bulawayo municipalities are also toying with the idea of installing prepaid meters, starting with selected residential areas.
