Thieves have been caught on camera at various points throughout the City of Johannesburg steeling brass water meters so that they can resell them as scrap metal
The benefit to the thieves is little but replacement costs combined with water losses are costing the City of Johannesburg – and by extension the taxpayers – a whopping R7-million! That’s a conservative estimate confirmed by Johannesburg Water spokesperson, Hilgard Matthews. Not all meters are made of brass but older models are. Removal of the meters results in what looks like a burst pipe, with water running down the streets and many thousands of Rands being lost as it does. “In the current drought, the activities of these thieves are unconscionable and criminal activities of this nature need to be reported to the nearest police station immediately, as well as to Joburg water so we can repair the damage immediately,” says Matthews.
In a major cosmopolitan City such as Johannesburg, the havoc caused by burst pipes and outages translates directly to homeowners and workers who can’t wash their hands which spreads diseases and leads to other health and environmental problems associated with lack of available water and sanitation in an urban environment.
Pressure from weakening rand
And the problem is getting worse in the midst of growing economic pressures in South Africa caused by a weakening Rand. In an article in the Northcliff Melville Times, Sophiatown’s Community Patrol Chairperson, Dauw Steyn, stressed this is a growing phenomenon, saying: “In Westdene and Newlands there has been an increase in water meter theft. The meters are being stolen because they are made out of metal and contain copper, so they can be sold for money.” Matthews confirms that although the City many years ago changed its tender to ensure metering components had little-to-no resale value, it would have been wasteful to have completely replaced all older meters, especially those still in good working order. “We still have 100 000 water meters with brass components in place,” he says. Joburg Water’s 24-hour customer relations line is 011 688 1699 – again, it’s important to report the actions of vandals to both the utility and the police.
