Pensioners’s faulty meter headache
Even though an Orange Grove pensioner has reported his faulty meter to the City, he has been informed that his water will be cut off
Nico Botha, a 63-year-old pensioner from Orange Grove is a very worried man after the City of Joburg threatened to cut-off his water supply.
The City says Botha owes them more than R200 000. The pensioner said he does not understand why the City of Joburg would want to cut-off his water services because his meter is faulty.
Botha said he has reported the faulty meter to the authorities several times but he has been ignored and only received inaccurate statements with huge amounts.
He said the problem started in 2016 when the officials from the City visited his home on Tenth Avenue and cut off his water supply.
“I then went to the Sandton municipal office and they requested I make a payment of R3 000, which I did with my pension money.
“They promised that they will restore my meter but they never did. Instead I get statements with charges amounting to between R16 000 and R27 000 every month,” he said.
Botha said when he asked them to come and test the meter, he was told he must pay another R3 000 again.
He said he does not understand how his rates could have escalated to such a huge amount, considering that he only lives with one tenant in his yard.
Botha said he has been sent another statement recently, threatening him that his water supply will be cut-off if he does not pay-off his debt.
“First of all I reported the faulty meter to them and they have never come to fix it or even check it. Whenever they come to do the reading they give me estimations instead of the actual readings and now they make it my own problem.
“It is highly impossible that I can owe money amounting to more than R200 000 when it’s only the two us in the yard. It’s their meter that is faulty.”
When contacted, Nkosana Lekotjolo, from the City of Joburg communications department, promised to look into the matter and will give a detailed response when they have investigated the matter.
“I have seen your email with the customer’s details and I will escalate the matter to the relevant department and we will respond then,” said Lekotjolo.
Details: www.joburg.org.za
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