CAMA takes on BWB over prepaid meters

The Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) has faulted Blantyre Water Board (BWB) for recalling its prepaid meters to replace them with post-paid ones.

In a letter dated February 222 2024, addressed to BWB chief executive officer, which Business News has seen, Cama executive director John Kapito says consumers are fed up with the continued games of twisting and turning them around like useless and hopeless objects.

“The withdrawal or recall of prepaid meters comes at a time when consumers have embraced the new pre-paid technology and surprisingly  BWB has failed to inform and engage consumers on the real reasons for the recall or withdrawal of the current prepaid meters,” Kapito writes in the letter.

He adds: “BWB has also failed to explain how many prepaid meters are identified and require removal as faulty or are of poor quality.”

He further alleges that it was BWB which, only a few years ago, advised consumers about the many benefits that are offered by prepaid meters, and they included improved cash-flow for the water board as consumers will be paying before consumption.

“Prepaid meters were also installed as one of BWB’s public reform areas, which included reduction of complaints from many disputed invoices that arose as a result of poor billing from the post-paid billing system.

“The desire to go into prepaid meters had many purported benefits and we are surprised with the sudden withdrawal of the meters,” Kapito further says.

Cama has since asked BWB to tell consumers when they discovered that these prepaid meters are of poor quality and whether consumers complained or lost money as a result of the poor quality of the prepaid meters.

In a statement dated January 31 2024, BWB said due to significant design flaws, it has embarked on a drive to recall prepaid meters that are in its system and have been affecting the board’s performance.

Prepaid customers who reported battery faults on their meters were required to pay K20 000 for replacement and BWB chief executive officer Robert Hanjahanja said the board was reimbursing them with credit water.

In April 2019, the board said it was in the third phase of installing prepaid meters.

A probe by our sister newspaper, Weekend Nation, in August 2019 uncovered that some BWB employees were cashing in on the installation of the prepaid meters by demanding between K30 000 and K90 000 from customers.

The investigation exposed a syndicate of fraudulent meter installers, who mostly targeted post-paid customers with high water bills and were at risk of being disconnected.

Hanjahanja is on record as saying the meters were not registering correct figures; hence, generating significant losses.