Dear Ekurhuleni – I have fought battles for electricity accounts, water billing issues, potholes, streetlights, fire hydrants and refuse collection on behalf of hundreds of community members.
Little did I expect that one day I would have to fight my own battle.
Cold and tired, my husband and I returned home recently from a meeting only to find our water meter had been stolen.
Who steals a water meter?
What kind of person consciously thinks about a little pipe and some gadgets as a way of making money?
With water gushing from a hole in the pavement where we once had a perfectly working water meter, we tried to put the outside light on and realised we were now not only wet, cold and tired, we were also now in a previously lit area.
I swear the lights were on when we arrived home, sneaky Eskom, very sneaky.
Argh! I thought, as I waded out of the water and towards the house.
Now I undoubtedly have to call the municipality, sitting in the dark for hours, to report that some low-life had made off with our water meter.
After a quick change, I made myself comfortable while my husband alerted out neighbours, not knowing if they still have a water meter.
In the dark, I dug out a municipal account and familiarly browsed the back for the right number to call.
Ah there we go – and I dialled the number.
I listened to the voice prompts telling me that Ekurhuleni was aware that Eskom was loadshedding and there was nothing that could be done about it. The recorded message apologised for the inconvenience caused.
Inconvenience, I thought, is a slight understatement, on top of everything I now also had to find food like a cave woman.
My cats looked at me as I asked them who would accompany me on a great hunt for food.
After the message finished, the phone rang on the other side and I half expected it to be hung up immediately.
But no, two rings in and a young woman answered the phone.
Good evening. My name is Busisiwe. How can I help you?
Slightly taken aback and unsure if I was dreaming, or whether hypothermia had set in and I was hallucinating, I struggled to answer her.
Hello she repeated and finally I answered.
I explained my water meter-less situation and asked her to please help.
She told me it could take five days to repair and before she was even done, I received an SMS to inform me my called and issue had been logged.
Three days later I returned home to find our little house had been equipped with a theft proof (I hope) plastic box which I assume contains my brand new water meter and other intricate bits which are used to bill us.
Now, I’ve given the municipality plenty of stick in the past and I probably will again in the future, but I believe in giving credit where it is due.
So, thank you Ekurhuleni and thank you Busisiwe.
Thank you for your excellent service, not only on the night in question, but also for not leaving a mess outside my house and for replacing my missing meter with something more practical.
And, dear Ekurhuleni, employees such as Busisiwe should be rewarded and treasured as she is an asset to your organisation.
For now my faith in my municipality has been restored and that makes me very happy.
