August 27, 2003
 
JOHANNESBURG WATER is set spend more than R450-million to replace old pipes and upgrade the water supply network to Soweto over the next five years.

Work has already started in Phiri, with the upgrading of underground pipes, the installing of prepaid water meters, and the repairing of plumbing fixtures, including the replacing of taps at individual households.

The JW project would be labour intensive and contractors were required to employ local residents, the utility said. "This programme is proof of our commitment to supply high-quality water at affordable prices to all the residents of Johannesburg," said JW managing director Greg Segoneco.

Johannesburg Water at work

Part of the plan included an education programme, called Operation Gcin'amanzi (Save Water), aimed at educating consumers about conserving water.

Johannesburg lost an estimated seven billion litres of water each month due to leakages on private properties or from municipal structures. This "lost" water drove up the price of water for consumers, Segoneco said. "The City can not afford to waste this amount of water. If we can prevent the losses, we can save the City up to R158-million a year."

As part of the government's strategy to provide a basic amount of water free, every household was supposed to receive 6 000 litres of water free every month. "Should a household use less than 6 000 litres a month then that household will not have to pay for their water," said JW's communication and marketing manager, Jameel Chand.

At present every household in Soweto is billed according to a flat rate of R103.40 a month, irrespective of current consumption. Whether residents use 10 000 litres or 30 000 litres of water a month, they pay this flat rate. "However, it is unfair to those residents who manage their water consumption and use less water than they pay for," JW said in a statement.

JW, the City's water and sanitation utility, said the Soweto upgrade included installing a prepaid metering system, which meant consumers could monitor and control their water consumption. "Consumers will pay for the water they actually use."

Prepaid meters had already been installed in 1 500 households in Orange Farm, Stretford extension 4. "Where the pre-payment system is already in place, 75 percent of households use less than the 6 000 litres of free water a month." The utility added that "a further 24 percent pay a monthly bill of less than R30".

While there had been complaints from some Soweto residents about the upgrading, including the installing of prepaid meters, JW said the new system would benefit consumers. Those households using less than 6 000 litres of water would not have to pay, those using up to 10 000 litres would pay R15.88, the bill for water consumption up to 15 000 litres would be R39.13 a month, while 20 000 litres would cost consumers R75.48 a month - all below the current flat rate.

Those opposing the utility's project had threaten workers, vandalised pipes, and prevented emergency water trucks from bringing in loads, according to a statement from JW. "They disrupt public information meetings and deny people the right of access to information," the statement added.

"Unfortunately there are elements at work who do not want the residents of Soweto to have access to a reliable supply of clean water at affordable rates. They want to deny the rights of the people to know exactly how much water they use and to manage their consumption," JW said.

"We are confident that the people of Soweto support our efforts to fix the water delivery system", said Chand.

JW said it had consulted widely within the Soweto community before starting on the upgrade. "The operation follows a comprehensive community consultation and liaison programme with community representatives, such as ward committees and councillors." This would continue throughout the programme. "Open and ongoing communication channels will be maintained with residents," said Chand.