Pensioner Marie Jacobs is continually being bombarded with bills from seven different accounts in a different part of Johannesburg, around 50 kilometres away from her home.
The harassment started in October 2010 when she received a bill which stated she owes R6 709 on Erf 206 in Witpoort, Midrand — pretty far away from her Witpoortjie home, located on Erf 406 and with a different street address. Shortly after the statement, she received a letter from In-Quest Investigations on the matter. She replied to company and nothing came of her letter. In February 2012 she received the next bill of an astounding R50 968 in arrears, to a different account number. Her water was cut off in April 2012 in connection with a third account being in arrears of R5 514.58, which took three days to solve and get reconnected. In April 2013 she received a pre-termination notice on a fourth account in arrears of R2 821.14. Shortly after she addressed a letter to the Credit Control Department in which she stated, “I wish to inform you that Witpoort and Witpoortjie are two completely different places, one being an agricultural area and the other a residential area.”
In May 2013 a second pre-termination notice reached her for a fifth account in arrears of a shocking R162 861.20, followed by another in July 2013 for a sixth account of R3 813.55. Here her frustration seemed to stop, until last Thursday (22 October).
She found Joburg Water employees outside her house, tampering with her meter. When she asked what was going on she was told she owes the city R49 859.75 and her water is being cut. She explained her situation, cross-referenced her account number with the seventh account to Erf 406 in Witpoort, and the men left.
“I’m just wondering how long it will be til they bother me with this nonsense again,” Jacobs told the Record, showing her accounts and slips to prove she’s paid faithfully for the last 46 years, the time she’s spent living in Witpoortjie.
“I’m starting to think Joburg Water is just too lazy to drive out to Midrand and finds it easier to hassle me with these accounts.”
She’s calling on the municipality to address their labourers on this issue immediately. Some investigation revealed that Witpoort 406-JR is a whole area, apparently subdivided, in Midrand near Carlswald North Estate. It is unclear whether residents there have received correct statements, pre-termination notices or have been disconnected in the past few years.
The Customer Communications Department of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has been approached for comment and have confirmed they will investigate and give feedback to be published at a later date.
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