16 November 2004 Press Release It is unfortunate that a group of between 200-300 people who on Tuesday 16, 2004 marched from the Mary Fritzgerald Square in Newtown to the Metropolitan Centre in Braamfontein to deliver a memorandum to the Office of the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg did not in fact it hand over. As with all issues raised by the citizens of Johannesburg the Executive Mayor Amos Masondo was looking forward to receiving this memorandum and regrets that it was not delivered. Senior officials from the office of the Mayor were on site to receive it on his behalf. The group under the banner of the Community Initiative Forum also displayed banners of the Anti Privatisation Forum, and the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee Forum. They read but did not hand over the memorandum with demands, which mainly included opposition to the installation of pre-paid water meters and the right to free and clean water and an immediate halt to the privatization of water. The water provided by the City of Johannesburg is not privatized. The water utility, Johannesburg Water is 100 percent owned by the Johannesburg Municipal Council. The City has 14 corporatised utilities including Johannesburg Water, as part of our efforts to make service delivery more efficient and accessible to all. Almost all households in Johannesburg have access to clean water. The local government in Johannesburg is committed to providing free 6 000 litres of water as promised to the public and the installation of pre-paid meters has been a very effective way towards ensuring that people do receive the free water. This installation was done after much consultation in a process which begun in 2003. In Phiri, Soweto where the first phase of Operation Gcin'amanz, the City's initiative for efficient use of water, has just been completed, 98% of residents agreed to have the free-pay meters installed. These figures contradict the claims of opposition to the new system. The benefits to residents who are using the free-pay meters are already visible. The average payment per account holder has dropped to an average of R25 per month for water and sanitation services, from the previous "flat rate" of R128 per month. We have no intention of stopping the installation of pre-paid meters for the as long as this improves the quality of life of the people Johannesburg. In cases where water consumption exceeds the free 6 000 litres provided, residents then buy additional credits. Most people do not use their full allocation of free water. The meters enable residents to manage their household budgets more effectively. Operation Gcin'amanzi means that Johannesburg will be saving more than 7 billion litres of water monthly that have previously been "lost" in the reticulation network as well as on property water leaks. Through Johannesburg Water, the City is installing new pipes, fixing leaks and, where necessary, replacing faulty fixtures in households, free of charge as part of this water saving initiative. As per Council policy all memorandums are sent to the multiparty Petitions and Public Participation Committee, which would contact the parties involved for a meeting in which they would deal with the concerns raised. For further information: Zandile Nkuta Spokesperson of the Executive Mayor City of Johannesburg Tel:011 407-7524/ Mob: 082 464 9449