FOR the last week and a half, residents of Umgeni Park and Parkhill have been grappling with a sharp rise in the theft of water meters.
Ward 36 councillor Shontel de Boer said she has been inundated with calls from residents at their wit’s end.
De Boer said she is now aware of 18 cases of water meter thefts.
Some of the roads targeted include Acutt Avenue, High Grove and Marine View Road.
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“The calls haven’t stopped. It is almost a case of a theft a day. Residents have asked me what they can do to secure their meters as many of them are outside of their properties. I’ve even seen cases where residents have actually put a box cage over their meters to prevent any future theft.
“What is worrying is that I’ve been informed by the water department that they do not have any meters in stock currently which is extremely concerning. There was a time when there was a string of thefts last year, and it abruptly stopped. Now, it looks like it has started up again, and it has been having a devastating effect on residents’ properties,” she said.
Marine View Road resident Edith Naicker was one of those affected by the theft last week.
“Within a few minutes of me leaving home to pick up my grandchild and driving back, I was told by the neighbourhood group that my meter had been stolen. The amount of clean water flowing down the road! I actually had to a dig a trench on my verge to channel the water away from pooling and possibly damaging my wall. Some residents sent me CCTV footage of what looks to be the culprit who then targeted a home about 800 metres away from mine,” she said.
