Johannesburg Water Transitions Billing System to Prepaid Smart Meters

Johannesburg Water has officially announced its transition from open billing to a new prepaid smart meter system on Wednesday. The inaugural suburb to embrace this change is Cosmo City, marking a significant shift in the city’s water billing practices.

This transition follows extensive consultations with local ward councillors and the community aimed at educating them about the advantages of the prepaid smart meter system.

Johannesburg Water emphasized the need to inform residents about the benefits of these new meters, where and how to purchase water credits, the importance of timely service payments, and the availability of the Expanded Social Package (ESP).

According to Johannesburg Water, the implementation of the prepaid smart meter system requires residents in Ward 100 and Ward 114 to ensure they possess a Customer Interface Unit (CIU).

CIUs are essential display units installed inside homes, directly linked to prepaid water meters, allowing residents to load water credits as needed.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has recently called for more substantial public engagement concerning Eskom’s multi-billion-rand smart meter program.

The DA recognizes the prevailing concerns and lack of trust among the South African public regarding Eskom’s proposed R16 billion smart meter installation program, urging further transparency and dialogue on the matter.