Unused solar geysers spark outrage

Unused solar water heaters caused a stir when residents wanted to attend an IDP meeting at Lusaka hall on May 8.

According to DA councillor Johan Zerwick, residents had to sit outside in the cold because the hall was full of several hundred solar water-heating systems being stored.

The party  has called on the Executive Mayor and Municipal Manager to conduct an urgent investigation and report to Council on how solar water-heater units meant for low-income households have remained in storage for years.

“Dusty steel frames are piled haphazardly, cardboard cartons have buckled and spilled their plastic fittings, and hundreds of cylindrical tanks and boxes labelled “Glass Vacuum Tube” line the walls of Lusaka Hall. The condition of the components indicates they have been idle for years, raising fears that corrosion, breakage, and theft will soon render many units unusable,” Zerwick said.

Apart from the systems not being installed, the DA has also asked for an urgent audit to confirm the exact stock numbers and condition, as well as a report detailing how many units were installed and by whom.

“These units, supplied under the National Solar Water Heater Programme, were meant to be installed in low-income homes to cut electricity costs and ease energy poverty. Instead, they have gathered dust for years while residents continue to pay for high power bills or gas and wood to heat water,” Zerwick added.

Permanent guards have been stationed at the hall since 2018 to protect them.

According to Zerwick the lack of accountability is glaring, as no clear timeline exists for appointing installers or training local artisans, despite the simplicity of two-week installer courses cited in parliamentary reports.

The environmental benefits that could be gained from the installation of these geysers have been lost to the municipality.

“Each solar geyser could cut a household’s carbon footprint and help JB Marks meet provincial climate commitments, savings for residents on electricity, and even bring down the monthly Eskom bill of JB Marks,” Zerwick said.

In a statement the DA requested the Executive Mayor and Municipal Manager to publish a transparent installation schedule, prioritising homes of the elderly on the indigent register. A report to Council on any disciplinary or contractual action against officials and contractors whose inaction led to this situation, and engage the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to unlock any remaining programme funds for installation kits and local skills training.

“Residents of Ikageng cannot keep paying for government inertia. We demand swift action because winter is here, and we will not allow these geysers to become yet another symbol of wasted opportunity,” Zerwick concluded.

The Herald asked the municipality for comment but by the time of publication had not received anything.