Cape Town - Fairways residents have seen a spike in the theft of water meter, prompting ward councillor Carmen Siebritz to appeal to the public to assist in catching the thieves.
Three water meters were reported stolen in Fairway Avenue yesterday morning. Twelve water meters have been stolen in the area this month.
Siebritz said Fairways had seen an increase in water meter theft over a period of three months. “It’s an almost daily occurrence,” she said.
Between August 11-14, six water meters were stolen, with theft taking place every day since Friday.
All incidents have been reported to the police and the City.
“Water meter theft may be seen as petty crime, yet it costs the City thousands of rands to replace.”
Siebritz said some residents had started a petition demanding no bail for the thieves, and appealed to the public to come forward with any information related to these crimes.
Last month, the City said it spent R3.9 million on replacing stolen water meters. Between July 2022 and May 2023, 2255 water meters were stolen across the city. The number of water meters replaced as a result of theft for the period prior (July 2021 to May 2022) had been 2 676.
To mitigate incidents of theft related to water meters, the City was replacing these with plastic water meters and no longer installing brass water meters.
From July 2022 to May 2023, the areas of Ottery, Kensington, Lentegeur, Westridge, Wynberg, Lotus River, Portland, Milnerton, Tafelsig, and Glenhaven had been the top 10 affected areas.
Mayco member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the City had put out a reward of around R5 000 to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of suspects vandalising or stealing water and sanitation infrastructure, including water meters and manhole covers.
Call 080 011 0077 if you have information regarding the whereabouts of stolen property or suspected offenders.