Mogale City has been inundated with enquiries relating to the Conventional Water Meter Replacement Project public notice that was issued on 16 November 2023. In response to the queries and public concerns, Water Services wishes to clarify that prepaid meters that are fully functional and have not been tempered with will not be replaced nor converted to its conventional metering capability.
Linked to the aforesaid and to clarify the current confusion around this project, it is important to mention that the current prepaid meters have a dual function, i.e., they have both prepaid and conventional capability however, Mogale City is no longer investing in prepaid meters as they have proven to be expensive to maintain. This means the municipality no longer has reparation material for these meters in stock and will not be purchasing any more material moving forward. Thus, when a faulty meter is reported, our artisans will do an assessment and convert such a meter from prepaid and activate the conventional functionality to minimise replacement costs. Only in instances where the conversion from prepaid to conventional is problematic, the meter will be completely replaced with a new conventional meter.
Correspondingly, meters that have been bypassed or tempered with will also be converted or replaced if required as explained above. Residents and businesses should note that a bypassed water meter involves illegally tampering with our meter so it does not accurately record water consumed thus allows a consumer to use water without paying for it. This is a major contributor to revenue loss that also impacts on us providing services.
Furthermore, our Water Services is aware that some prepaid consumers that have been using water without paying for it started purchasing water following our initial public notice. Such meters will still be converted as they have been bypassed.
We therefore request the co-operation of affected residents and businesses in the below areas to ensure that the project is rolled out as hassle-free as possible:
Focus areas for the project rollout thus far are as follows:
- Featherbrooke Estate
- Rangeview
- Noordheuwel
- Krugersdorp
- Azaadville
- Kagiso Area
Again, not only will the meter restoration, legitimate functioning and correct billing ensure we build sustainable water supply services but a stable city conducive to residential, business and economic growth.