A Noordwyk resident is crying foul after he suddenly received excessive water meter readings leading to high monthly payments.
The man, who wished to be known as Saul Shabbisto for fear of reprisal, said he was shocked to receive his statement in January claiming that he has consumed 21 000kl of water.
The following month in February, he was charged for 27 000kl. In March the quantity of water he was charged for was 26 000kl and in April it increased to 32 000kl.
“It’s shocking to see those amounts especially because I live alone in the house. How can one person consume so much water while there are areas that are not even getting a drop of water on their taps? It does not make sense,” he said.
Shabbisto approached the Johannesburg Water regional office to report the matter which he was told was still under investigation. Meanwhile, he forks out amounts ranging from R6 000 to R8 000 for services including water each month since January.
“I am paying a lot of money each month for water I don’t even consume. I don’t have a swimming pool and there is no irrigation taking place on the property. I have even tried looking for leaks but I haven’t identified any.”
Last month, he went to report to the local call centre and he was allegedly told to pay R3 500 upfront to have the meter taken for laboratory testing. “I don’t have that money right now. Does that mean I will remain with the problem until I have the money to take the meter for testing?”
He said the only solution he sees fit for his problem is a prepaid meter so he could track his consumption. “I requested to have a prepaid meter installed but I was told that my area is not recognised for prepaid meters. This is frustrating because I am paying for something I don’t know.”
Spokesperson for Johannesburg Water Eleanor Mavimbela had not yet responded by the time of publishing.
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