Daniel Shenxan, a 68-year-old Toekomsrus pensioner, said that since 2017, he has been burdened with paying high water bills due to the leaking water meter on his property.
Since the problem started, Shenxane said he has been paying between R1 200 and R1 500 a month for his water bill. Before the problem, he used to pay up to R500.
Shenxane, who said he has been living on the property for more than 14 years, said it was unfair, as the water meter readings are estimated while the accurate reading’s digits are under water.
What makes it worse is that the municipal workers always take my phone number, promising to come back to fix the situation, but I never hear anything afterwards. I am left with the problem,” Shenxane said.
He went on to say the service is bad, yet he is expected to honour his monthly rates and taxes.
“These people need to understand that I do not have the amount of money that I am expected to pay, it is too expensive,” Shenxane added.
DA councillor Pule Ramphore said the issue of leaking water is common in Toekomsrus, and efforts to get the municipality to address the issue are continuously made, apparently with little effect.
“This problem affects them a lot, especially those like Shenxane, who rely on grants for income. They are not in any position to afford such a financial burden.
“In order to assist these people, we are knocking at the municipal officials’ doors for assistance, however, we are not getting any response from them at this stage,” Ramphore said.
He also said that this issue is only one of the many that are being discussed in the War Room daily.
“The Mayor also get to hear these reports, about how these discrepancies are robbing people of their money,” Ramphore added.
