OUTCOME OF CONSULTATION WITH LEBOWAKGOMO RESIDENTS ON SMART METERS

On Sunday, 25 August 2024, Capricorn District Municipality met with Lebowakgomo residents and SANCO on the implementation of prepaid smart water meters and the replacement of asbestos pipes in the township.

The purpose of the engagement was to share an update on the transition from the old conventional water meters to prepaid meters and give residents a platform to raise concerns about the Municipality’s 2013 resolution to write off their water debts, progress on the replacement of the asbestos pipe and general water supply challenges.

Regrettably, after the meeting, a misleading audio clip began to circulate in public which sought to misrepresent the outcome of the meeting. It is therefore hoped that this statement will provide the correct, factual account of what transpired during the meeting and the way-forward.

Water debt write-off

In August 2013, the Municipality took a resolution to give Lebowakgomo residents a lifeline with some measure of relief to consumers with debts they incurred from 2011 to 30 June 2013, which according to Council, were a result of inaccurate billing. Pursuant to that resolution, the Municipality accordingly wrote off a debt of R96m, which enabled residents whose accounts were in red by June 2013, an opportunity to start on new accounts while the Municipality concomitantly worked on improving its metering systems. The write-off therefore did not cover debts incurred after June 2013.

Implementation of prepaid meters

After years of assessing the escalating debt, the Municipality identified prepaid smart meters as a step towards reducing the municipal debt, raising more revenue, and encouraging the culture of paying for services. The process began with public participation in all towns across the District, at which the Municipality acknowledged the past billing challenges and outlined reforms to address them, which included incentives to consumers, keeping water consumption within affordable levels and controlled spending through prepaid smart meters. As a result, the Municipality has managed to complete the installation of 2,897 meters in Blouberg, 1,078 in Molemole, and has so far installed 5,724 prepaid meters in the Lebowakgomo township (wards 15, 17 and 18). The rollout in ward 16 will get underway this week.

During this meeting, the Municipality distributed indigent application forms to encourage residents who do not afford water consumption to apply for indigent registration and get 6kL of water (6,000 liters) every month. The applications are processed by Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality. The Municipality is also availing 6kL of water to residents as a transitional arrangement to accommodate a shift from conventional meters to these prepaid meters.

Replacement of asbestos pipes with PVC line

Frequent pipe bursts and leaks in Lebowakgomo pose a costly, inconvenient operations and maintenance challenge which causes the Municipality to lose not only water but also millions of rands in maintenance. The asbestos pipes have outlived their expected lifespan, and the Municipality has already invested R49m for this project in Zone A. The current progress on the replacement project stands at 80% completion and the Municipality is exploring various funding models to complete the asbestos pipes replacement. In the interim, the Municipality has increased the number and capacity of technicians to attend to all leaks and bursts as soon as they are detected.

Conclusion

The long journey from the write-off in 2013 to the current implementation of smart meters has been challenging to both the Municipality and residents. However through the municipality partnering with the consumers, the challenges will be overcome, which will ensure financial viability of the District Municipality and the growth and development of Lebowakgomo.