Ward 41 Residents call on Helcraw Water to launch education drive as smart meter roll-out gathers pace

Peter Tanyanyiwa

Herald Correspondent

A community interface in Marlborough last Saturday ended with a clear mandate for structured public awareness campaigns and a shared commitment to deliver reliable water services to Ward 41.

Residents of Ward 41 in Marlborough have called on Helcraw Water to introduce structured community education and awareness programmes including open town-hall briefings, printed user guides and mobile information platforms, to ensure every household fully understands the city’s new smart prepaid water metering system.

The call came out of a residents’ interface held last Saturday at Marlborough District Office, convened by Ward 41 Councillor Kudzai Kadzombe and attended by City of Harare water engineers, the municipality’s billing department, Helcraw Water representatives, and scores of concerned residents.

The interface formed part of a broader, nationally significant drive by the City of Harare — in partnership with Helcraw Electrical (Pvt) Ltd and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Kadzombe acknowledged that the roll-out had encountered teething challenges but was emphatic that last Saturday’s dialogue had charted a clear and positive way forward.

“There were genuine grievances from our residents — the lack of prior communication, concerns about workmanship on some installations, questions about the quality and consistency of the meters and critically, the fact that installers arrived in our community without formal identification,” said Cllr Kadzombe.

“Ward 41 is a security-conscious neighbourhood and that raised alarm bells. There were also real anxieties about how and where residents could purchase their water tokens. But I am pleased to say that we sat down together Helcraw Water, the City of Harare’s water engineers, the billing department, and our residents — and we have come out of that meeting with a concrete list of resolutions.

“We are not simply talking; we are going to be tracking progress on each of those resolutions over the next few weeks.”

Helcraw Water’s project manager, Engineer Zivanai Tembo, used the platform to outline the full suite of benefits that the smart prepaid meters bring to residents — and to detail the practical steps his company is taking to address concerns raised on the ground.

“The technology we are deploying is genuinely transformative,” said Eng Tembo.

“Each meter has its own internal memory and generates an hourly consumption log, giving residents a 24-hour picture of how they are using water.

“The built-in valve automatically shuts off supply when credit reaches zero, which is also the system’s way of revealing hidden leaks that households may not have known about for years. “I visited a client in Marlborough who purchased 10 000 litres and found it depleted unusually fast. We checked — no leakage — but it was a clear case of consumption habits that had not yet adapted to the prepaid model. One month later, after we had explained the system, the resident’s usage pattern was completely different. That is the power of awareness.”

Eng. Tembo confirmed that water token vending stations are already operational at several locations across the city, including Rowan Martin, Warren Park District Office and sub-office and Marlborough District Office itself, which began serving walk-in customers this Monday. He added that at least one or two mobile payment platforms would be activated in the near term, allowing residents to purchase tokens from home at any hour.

“We understand that water does not run out at a convenient time,” he said.

“Buying tokens should be as easy as recharging your mobile phone. Beyond that, our remote monitoring capability means my engineers can assess a meter from anywhere in the world we receive real-time data, we can diagnose problems remotely, and we can respond far more efficiently than was ever possible in the old post-paid era.

“The key lesson I have taken from this engagement is that we must adopt a decentralised approach to technical support and community education, so that no household is left without answers.

“Our commitment is to resolve reported faults within 48 hours through a centralised customer care channel that directs every issue to the right people immediately.”

The Zimbabwe Republic Police public relations department also took advantage of the platform to address Marlborough residents on the three-man gang terrorising their community and urged residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities.