No Plans to Scrap Prepaid Metres

The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Buyelwa Sonjica, has no plans to scrap the controversial pre-paid water meters or to introduce more free water for the poor.

Although the ANC campaigned against the City of Cape Town’s pre-paid water meters in the run-up to the elections, Sonjica says her department is not opposed to the devices. “As long as the free basic water allocation is guaranteed, I wouldn’t quarrel with the pre-paid water system,” says Sonjica.

Anti Privatisation Forum (APF) housing coordinator, Sipho Magudulela, slammed government over the use of prepaid water metres in poor communities. Speaking to SANGONeT, Magudulela argues that prepaid metres are discriminatory because they are only imposed on the poor and not the rich. He further argues that the poor do not even require more water as they do not have things such as swimming pools.

To read the article titled, “Pre-paid water meters here to stay,” click here.