QUESTION 3

[SERIES OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM PUBLIC MEETING AT MLM]

Mr. Ralebenya, you indicated that MLM plan on installing another 4 000 prepaid water meters. However, according to the Water Act, your priority should be to provide water to the community and according to the directive from Treasury, to protect the water reticulation system of Frankfort and Namahadi by first installing pressure control measures. You decided to ignore the advice and without a proper business plan proceeded without the required due diligence, spent R15-Million of tax payers’ money to replace existing and in most cases fully-functioning 1458 prepaid water meters. This means that the unit cost of the meters installed is more than R10 000.00, whereas these meters could have been purchased by any individual for around R2 000.00 per unit. It is hard to believe that pipes and labour would make up R8000.00 per meter. Who benefits from the inflated cost? Why was the R15-Million not rather spent on repairing leaks or maintaining the water treatment plants?