Gweru Residents’ Forum (GRF) has rejected council’s plan to introduce prepaid water meters. Gweru City Council recently said it was looking for partners to upgrade its water reticulation system and install prepaid water meters as part of measures to boost revenue collection.
However, GRF director Charles Mazorodze said that the move to install prepaid meters is meant to disadvantage unemployed and poor citizens, Said Mazorodze:
It is saddening to realise that the people whom we elected to represent our interests as Gweru residents are at the forefront of ensuring exclusion of the poor, unemployed and the senior citizens from consuming water. While we appreciate that residents have an obligation of paying for their water usage, the current water and property tax regimes charging in excess of between $100 and $150 are beyond the reach of many residents who are generally unemployed.
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