Sunday Times 14/10/01
Cape Town taps into R570m
Unicity plans to install pre-paid meters for water services in bid to recoup massive outstanding arrears bill
Cathy Lund
Cape Town’s unicity is to install pre-paid water meters in an attempt to recoup some of its R570-million in outstanding water arrears.
The unicity is installing 170 meters, which work exactly the same as pre-paid electricity meters, at homes in Klipheuwel, near Malmesbury, as part of a pilot project to test their effectiveness.
This announcement comes in the wake of recent clashes in Tafelsig, where more than 800 families had their water cut because outstanding bills had not been paid.
The enraged residents burned tyres and erected barricades in protest – and clashed with police who responded with teargas and rubber bullets. At least eight people were hurt and 12 arrested.
A unicity spokesman said such incidences could be avoided in the future with a pre-paid water system, as people could monitor their usage and not fall behind in their payments. They said they could also recoup arrears by deducting a portion of the pre-paid amount.
Unicity water services convener, Dave Ramsay, said the only downside to the system was that it could easily be tampered with.
“The system works very much the same as with pre-paid electricity meters, except people don’t really tamper with those because they are afraid of being shocked. The water system is prone to being tampered with.
We are looking at two or three different products to ensure we install the best.”
One product being considered, the Ecowater Meter, has already been successfully installed in RDP houses in Mossel Bay and Ladismith in the Cape, said developers Tellumat and Rhomberg.
Director of electronics at Tellumat, Mark Chewins, said: “The areas in which the meters have been installed are totally up to date with their payments. Ladismith reports that there is not one cent outstanding in water payments in houses with the new meters.
“This product can be used across the board and is not necessarily aimed at
low income households. It allows the consumer better control and the ability
to budget every month,” he added.
Francois Human, town clerk of the Ladismith municipality, said: “We are highly impressed with this low-cost metering system, which creates an invaluable mechanism for municipalities to manage and control resources over a vast area.
“Our experience is that the poor do want to pay for their services.
Especially for those who do not have a regular income, it provides the opportunity to pay for water when they have money,” he added.
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