By Lindani Maseko
To empower consumers and enhance service delivery, the Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) has officially launched its prepaid water metering system.
This initiative, unveiled during a media briefing led by EWSC Managing Director Jabulile Mashwama at the utility’s headquarters, promises to bring control and transparency to water consumption across the kingdom.
Prepaid water metering is a system that allows consumers to purchase water upfront, similar to prepaid electricity, and the water supply is controlled by a metre that allows water flow only when there is sufficient credit.
Mashwama articulated that the prepaid system is a direct response to customer demand for greater control over their water usage.
“This initiative is fundamentally about empowering our customers,” she stated. “We’ve listened to their calls for more transparent and manageable water services, and this prepaid system is our answer. “
The project rollout will be phased in 5 years and will see 12,000 residential connections transitioned to prepaid metering in the first financial year of 2025/26.
“Our vision is to have all residential connections on prepaid metering by the end of five years,” Mashwama affirmed.
Areas that will be connected in Q1 of this financial year include Woodlands, Thembelihle, Coates Valley, Magevini, Mobeni, Ekuphumleni, Moyeni & Flame Tree Park, and Glen Township.
For Q2, connection rollout areas include Mangozeni, Sibuyeni Township, Mathendele, Mvelo Township, Macembeni, Khalambazo, Madlaldleni, Mangwaneni in (NHL, MNZ & PPK), Sithobelwni, and Malanda.
The benefits of the new system include real-time consumption monitoring, improved household budgeting, and a significant reduction in water wastage.
She further stated that this system allows customers to take ownership of their water usage, encouraging a culture of efficiency and responsible consumption.
To ensure a strong and effective implementation, EWSC conducted extensive benchmarking exercises with leading industry players, including the National Water and Sewage Corporation (NWSC) of Uganda, Johannesburg Water in South Africa, and the Water Utilities Corporation of Botswana.
Beyond customer empowerment, EWSC is also set to benefit as the prepaid system is expected to enhance billing accuracy, streamline revenue collection, and facilitate better financial planning, enabling EWSC to invest in critical infrastructure expansion, particularly in underserved communities.
Innocent Mkhombe, Senior Manager of ICT at EWSC, provided further details on the technical aspects of the prepaid system. He outlined two distinct solutions: the Rural and Clustered Urban Prepaid and the Residential Prepaid.
“The rural and clustered urban solution is designed to serve underprivileged communities, utilising communal standpipes with hardware tokens for water dispensing,” he explained.
“Customers can purchase water in 20 or 50-litre increments, depending on the configuration, “added the ICT manager.
The Residential Prepaid on the other hand, is tailored for individual households, featuring a customer interface unit that provides real-time consumption data and leak detection.
“This system empowers homeowners with immediate insights into their water usage,” Mkhombe added.
It is worth mentioning that a pilot program is currently being run at Mndoni Estate, which EWSC says has been a success. Mkhobe added that they have partnered with mobile telecommunications companies to make payments convenient.
“We’ve also integrated mobile money payments into our app, making token purchases convenient and accessible,” Mkhombe stated.
When asked how much the total project cost is, Mkhobe stated that the entire project cost is E528 million. “Rolling out such a system is quite costly, which is why a few countries in the region have done so.”