Faulty prepaid water meters in Tshwane to be replaced with conventional systems

The City of Tshwane has embarked on a programme to replace thousands of faulty prepaid water meters in Olievenhoutbosch with conventional ones following widespread failures due to faulty batteries, defective electronics, and vandalism. 

The meters, installed in the early 2000s, have been plagued by problems, which resulted in water losses and a decline in revenue for the city.

Nearly 11,200 meters are set to be replaced with conventional ones, restoring accurate billing, improving service reliability, and strengthening the city’s financial position.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, said efforts to replace faulty meters are part of the city's broader initiative to enhance water service delivery and bolster municipal revenue management.

He highlighted that the original intention behind installing prepaid water meters in the early 2000s was to encourage responsible water use, minimise waste, and ensure residents only pay for what they consume

“However, over time, the meters began to fail due to faulty batteries, defective electronics, and incidents of vandalism. This led to significant water losses and a decline in revenue for the city,” he said.

According to him, reliable revenue from water services is the lifeblood of the city's ability to deliver essential services, maintain infrastructure, and invest in sustainable water management systems.  

“To address this challenge, the current multiparty coalition government, through the mayoral committee, has resolved to replace all faulty prepaid meters with conventional ones. This intervention will restore accurate billing, improve service reliability, and strengthen the city’s financial position,” Boshielo said.

He said installation work to replace meters has commenced and assured residents that normal tariff billing will resume once the first ten meters are successfully replaced and tested.

“The project will be implemented in phases to ensure quality control and minimal disruption to residents,” he said, urging residents of ward 106 to exercise patience and cooperate with municipal officials during this process.

According to him, the city is working tirelessly to complete the project and pave the way for the reintroduction of modern prepaid metering systems that are more reliable and tamper-proof. 

In a related initiative, the city has launched the #ThibaDiLeakage programme, focusing on repairing water leaks in region 1, specifically in Soshanguve, Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa.

Boshielo said the targeted areas still have high consumption patterns and leakages.

Recently, chief operations officer, Vuyo Zitumane, expressed concern that areas in region 1 account for a substantial 50% of water losses.

Boshielo appealed to residents to continue using water sparingly, acknowledging the inconvenience caused by the faulty meters and ongoing repairs.

Residents are encouraged to report leaks timeously to avoid waste and support the city's efforts to provide reliable services, he said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za