Online Reporter
Diana Nherera
The Harare City Council has begun installing prepaid water meters in Mabelreign under a partnership with Helcraw Water, under a programme geared to modernise billing and curb revenue losses.
The initiative introduces smart, prepaid meters that require residents to purchase water credit in advance, similar to prepaid electricity systems.
Unlike the traditional post-paid model – where council estimates consumption and bills residents monthly – prepaid meters deduct credit based on actual water used.
Under the old system, many residents complained about estimated billing, a practice used when council officials fail to access properties to read meters or when meters are faulty.
Estimates are often based on previous consumption patterns or property size, a method residents say frequently results in inflated bills.
Ward 16 (Harare West) Councillor, Denford Ngadziore, said the shift to smart meters had been largely welcomed by residents who want an end to estimated charges.
“It seems more people prefer smart water meters so that they eliminate the estimates that have been there. They think the estimates were too high,” he said.
Cllr Ngadziore said Mabelreign residents are pushing for wider installation of the smart meters, although initial implementation has faced technical challenges.
He acknowledged that some households experienced leaks at connection points soon after installation.
“In some areas there were leaks at the smart water meters. This is more like human error from those who were fixing the meters. We have engaged them and they are coming back to fix that,” he said.
He explained that some installations were done at a time when there was no water flowing in the system, making it difficult to immediately detect faults.
“The problem is when they installed the meters there was no water. So when the water comes, it starts leaking at the meter. When there is a leak at the meter, it will charge a resident, not council. They have started fixing those problems,” he said.
Despite the introduction of prepaid meters, residents should not expect immediate improvements in water availability.
Cllr Ngadziore said the installation programme is aimed at improving billing efficiency and accountability rather than increasing supply.
Harare has long struggled with ageing infrastructure, high levels of non-revenue water and erratic supply, with many suburbs relying on rationed water.
