Henties Bay to replace prepaid water meters after contractor shuts down vending system

Staff Reporter

THE Henties Bay Municipality has begun replacing prepaid water meters with conventional meters after the town’s prepaid water vending system was shut down by contractor ITEM Engineering CC amid a payment dispute.

The municipality said the contractor disabled the system last week, leaving residents unable to purchase water tokens. Officials have since deployed teams to replace affected prepaid meters free of charge to ensure households continue receiving water.

During a public meeting with residents, Acting Chief Executive Officer Ignasia Neis described the suspension of the prepaid system as “illegal”, alleging that ITEM Engineering was attempting to force the municipality to make an early payment that was not yet due.