| Theft of water meters on the rise | <p><br></p><div>Currently, Steenberg, Retreat, Grassy Park, Strand, Athlone, Woodstock, Ottery, Bellville South, Lentegeur, Manenberg and Belgravia are some of the areas where there has been an increase in stolen meters between 1 July 2021 and 30 April 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>Residents can help the City of Cape Town tackle vandalism and theft of water and sanitation infrastructure, such as water meters. </div><div><br></div><div>A reward of up to R5 000 is being offered to any resident who reports incidents or information related to the theft and vandalism of water and sanitation infrastructure that lead to a successful arrest or recovery of stolen equipment. Residents can report to one of the City’s Safety and Security agencies like Law Enforcement and Metro Police by phoning 107 from a landline, or 112 from a cellphone and ask for the City’s Public Emergency Call Center. Both of these numbers are free call options. Confidentiality is ensured. </div><div><br></div><div>‘We cannot condone the theft of critical infrastructure. We ask residents to please be vigilant and to report these incidents so it can be investigated to clamp down on this reckless, inconsiderate behaviour that has a knock-on effect on residents. Stealing a water meter from a property causes major inconvenience for the affected household as they have no water supply until their meter is replaced. When such incidents occur, the City makes every effort to replace these reported stolen meters in the shortest timeframe. Also, the money spent on replacing the meters could have been used elsewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>‘The City has put out a reward for anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of suspects who are vandalising or stealing our water and sanitation infrastructure, including water meters,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.</div><div><br></div><div>The City is no longer installing brass water meters and is only installing plastic water meters due to the scrap value of the brass water meters. </div><div><br></div><div>‘The brass water meters are being targeted and it will take some time before all meters are replaced with plastic ones. The cost for the City to replace a stolen/damaged 15mm water meter is R3 260,60 while the cost for a stolen/damaged 20mm water meter is R3 744,60,’ said Councillor Badroodien. </div><div><br></div><div><strong>What residents need to know:</strong></div><div><ul><li>If a water meter is stolen, it should be reported immediately to one of the channels listed below to arrange for a replacement:<br></li></ul></div><div><ul><li>Online www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests</li><li>Email water@capetown.gov.za</li><li>SMS 31373 (maximum 160 characters. Standard rates apply)</li><li>Call 0860 103 089</li><li>Visit a City walk-in centre (see www.capetown.gov.za/facilities to find the one closest to you)<br></li><li>The City should visit the property for an inspection within 24 hours, and if the meter is confirmed as needing replacement, this should be done within a further 24 hours in most cases. <br></li></ul></div><div>In addition, to be eligible for a reward, the incident should be reported to the City’s Public Emergency Call Centre </div><div>If you have witnessed an incident or are aware of incidents that could still happen, please report it by phoning:</div><div><ul><li>From a landline call 107 for free. </li><li>From a cellphone - call 021 480 7700 or call 112 for free and ask for City of Cape Town’s Public Emergency Call Center.</li></ul></div><div><br></div><div><strong>End</strong><br></div><p><br></p> | 2022-05-14T22:00:00Z | GP0|#1d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70;L0|#01d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70|City news;GTSet|#62efe227-07aa-45e7-944c-ceebacca891d | | | | | GP0|#fc0a19bf-6a9b-42af-bc90-8a0d4b9f4eac;L0|#0fc0a19bf-6a9b-42af-bc90-8a0d4b9f4eac|vandalism;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb;GP0|#9b08054d-9073-4920-b1e7-d0e5f9361b3b;L0|#09b08054d-9073-4920-b1e7-d0e5f9361b3b|reward system;GP0|#a3ac5825-3464-4e1b-a58b-75c8b257d806;L0|#0a3ac5825-3464-4e1b-a58b-75c8b257d806|water ＆ sanitation | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
