November 17, 2004
By Bafana Nzimande
BRAAMFONTEIN'S usually unruffled air of efficiency was disrupted on Tuesday, 16 November, by whistles, shouts and chants as some 400 protesters converged on the Metro Centre.
The vociferous crowd seemed to have several agendas - but it was the issue of pre-paid water meters that came to the fore.
"Away with pre-paid water and privatisation, away!" shouted Johannes Mashinini, of the Soweto Crisis Community Forum.
Various community organisations - including the Community Initiative Development Forum, the Pan Africanist Congress, Jubilee, the Anti-Privatisation Forum and the Socialist Party of Azania - marched under the banner of the Community Initiative Forum.
Also taking part in the march was kwaito artist, Bonginkosi Dlamini - better known as Zola - who said although he was not a member of any organisation, he represented the affected people of Soweto.
"I joined this march to show my support for the unemployed people who are negatively affected by this system. It especially affects our grandparents, who are now forced to allocate a strict budget for water services - from the same pension fund that is supposed to feed their large families," he added.
However, according to Johannesburg Water, the utility's initiative to install free-pay meters in Soweto "is meeting with overwhelming support from local residents, despite attempts to derail the project by small group of protesters".
With free-pay meters, each household is provided with 6 000 litres of free water every month to cover basic water needs, in line with national policy. Households are then charged for amounts over and above the initial 6 000 litres.
"The problem starts when residents over-use their free 6 000 litres - that is when the prepaid system is applied and residents need to buy extra water," said Johannesburg Water communications manager, Jameel Chand.
The installing of such meters is part of Johannesburg Water's Operation Gcin'amanzi, a multi-million rand operation to upgrade water supply facilities in Soweto.
Under Operation Gcin'amanzi, the township's old pipelines are being repaired, new networks are being established and free-pay water meters installed.
Responding to the protesters' complaints, a statement issued on behalf of the Mayor's office said: "We have no intention to stop the installations of the free-pay water for as long as this improves the lives of the people of Johannesburg."
The statement added "almost all households in Johannesburg have access to clean water".
Johannesburg Water also pointed out that 98 percent of residents of Phiri - where the first free-pay meters have been installed - support the initiative and "there is a growing interest among residents from other parts of Soweto in the roll out".
Water provided by Johannesburg Water was not privatised, as the utility was owned by the City of Johannesburg, the statement added.
The protesters, however, were determined to voice their opposition, dumping meter boxes on the paving at the entrance to the Metro Centre. Several carried placards saying "No to pre-paid water, write off our arrears".
They planned to hand over a memorandum to Johannesburg Mayor, Amos Masondo, and when they discovered he was not available, refused to hand the document to his legal advisor, Phakedi Masekela and other senior officials from the Mayor's office who were on hand.
Chanting "ons soek die Mayor" (we want the Mayor), the protesters decided to wait at the Metro Centre's entrance, piling the meter boxes up.
The march leaders then read out the contents of the memorandum to Council officials.
Community Initiative Forum spokesperson, Miriam Jacobs, read: "We demand the Council put an immediate end to the installation of the pre-paid water meters, the right to clean water, the scrapping of arrears for services in all areas and the immediate halt to the privatisation of water."
Jacobs added: "Water is a basic free health right, and the Mayor is taking that right away from the poor people."
Refusing to hand over the memorandum to Council officials, Jacobs said the group would return to meet the Mayor.
According to the Mayor's office, any memorandum received would - in line with Council policy - be sent to the multi-party Petitions and Public Participation Committee, which would contact the parties involved to set up a meeting to deal with the concerns raised.
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