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Water meter readings

From the City of Cape Town:

Your home or business is connected to the City’s water network through a water meter, which usually sits in a small chamber under the pavement outside your property. We read your water meter once a month to calculate your monthly water and sewerage use.

How the City reads your water meter

The meter is read by a different person each month. We take a meter reading using a handheld computer terminal that contains core information about the property, such as the erf number and the address.

If we cannot read your meter (due to your gate being locked or other circumstances) and you do not submit your water reading, your bill will be an estimate based on your previous water use. All cost estimates will be reversed, if necessary, when we get an actual reading.

DID YOU KNOW?Well-run City: Each year, we replace about 9 000 old or malfunctioning water meters. 

You can help us get an accurate reading for your water meter by doing the following:

  • Make sure you know where your water meter is located.
  • Make sure it is not obstructed (e.g. by sand or weeds) and is easy to read.
  • Your water meter should be accessible to City officials at all times.
  • If your water meter is behind locked gates, or if dogs prevent the meter readers from taking a reading, you can submit the reading yourself (see below).
  • Alternatively, ask the City to relocate your meter to the outside of your house, via the City’s Service Requests application.

How to read your water meter

You can submit your water meter reading by calling 0860 103 089 or entering it online via your municipal account on our e-Services portal.

No matter the type of water meter, black numbers represent kilolitres and red numbers represent litres. As you are charged per kilolitre, only supply the black numbers when submitting your reading.

DID YOU KNOW?

Inclusive City: The City has installed free-call phones at some City facilities to allow you to make enquiries and request services at no cost.

Water and sanitation tariffs

All formal properties have water meters, which we use to read your water consumption and calculate your monthly bill. However, there are different tariffs for residences, businesses, and other organisations.

  • Understand the cost of water and sanitation in your home
  • Understand the cost of water and sanitation for your business or organisation

Report problems with your water meter

If your water meter is not being read regularly, is malfunctioning or needs to be relocated to outside of your property, please contact the City’s 24-hour call centre:

  • Call us on 0860 103 089 (choose option 2: water-related faults)
  • SMS: 31373 (max of 160 characters)
  • Whatsapp: 063 407 3699
  • Email: water@capetown.gov.za

You can also go to our service requests portal and report or request an issue online. If you need some help with how to place a service request or report an issue, please see Submit a service request.

For More Information

This post is sponsored by Chas Everitt Cape Town South

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