Ashley couple must pay for water ‘down the drain’

IN less than two months after water restrictors were installed in the Viljoen’s home, they had to hire a plumber on two occasions to fix leaking geysers.

After a few months, the pensioners were slapped with a bill of more than R8 000 which was R5 000 higher than their normal bill. Investigations revealed the hefty bill was the result of a leaking pipe underneath their house of which they were not aware.

A year later, they are stuck with a bill of R24 831 and their electricity has been disconnected every second or third month due to the ‘arrears’ on record, because their utility bills are paid under one account.

Cynthia Viljoen said their problem started just after water restrictors were installed in April, last year.

”After that, the geyser in our cottage burst in May followed by the geyser in the main house in June. The plumber told us that these bursts were a direct result of the water restrictor and that they fix about 37 geysers a week around the Highway area,” she said

The Viljoen’s believe the leaking pipe issue would have been avoided if it was identified earlier.

“The water department estimated our water consumption instead of doing a reading. It was only after five months, when they read our meter that they realised that our water consumption was way higher than normal,” said Cynthia.

The long term underground continuous leak into the foundation of the house resulted in further damages to their property.

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The damage is visible in the kitchen wall, the floor tiles are lifting, the corner built-in cupboard warped, bathroom and bedroom exterior walls are damp and the paint is bubbling.

“Although the damp has evaporated over the months, it still looks unsightly and according to our comprehensive householders insurance, we have to foot the bill for repairs ourselves. The damage is estimated at more than R100 000.

“We continue to pay our current month’s charges. We were initially told that there would be a ‘no suspension’ hold on the account until the issue was resolved, no such luck. We have to pay the reconnection fee every time,” said

The couple told the Highway Mail that they cannot afford to pay this exorbitant water bill as they are both unemployed and receive a grant pension.

“We simply cannot afford this bill. The water was not consumed by us, it literally went down the drain,” said Cynthia.

She added they have been to the Sizakala Centre a number of times and they were also advised to contact the Underwriters for Westwood Ins Brokers who are the official financial service provide for Metro Water Services.

“We were told that a ‘special investigation’ was launched in this regard, and should be processed within three months and five months later. No further progress has been made.”

eThekwini Municipality has not responded to questions at the time of going to press.