Residents without water have options – JW
Residents are urged to use the 6 000 litres sparingly because if used wisely most houses would not have to pay for their water.
Some houses in Bramfischer are without water after supply was cut-off following an inspection into the prepaid meters by Joburg Water.
The use of prepaid meters meant that residents had to buy water before services could be used.
Apparently some locals didn’t follow this method, instead they by-passed the meters to maintain a constant supply of water without purchase.
The spokesperson for marketing and communications for Joburg Water, David Sibiya, said: “When a resident illegally by-passes a water meter (which is a criminal offence), the entity still gives residents an opportunity to rectify this by arranging with the City of Joburg to install a new meter at their cost.
“Residents that have been cut-off have not seized the opportunity to correct this, and this leaves us with no option but to cut them off.
“If someone happens to be destitute because of unemployment or other challenges (child headed families), there are avenues that they can pursue.
“Unfortunately the residents that have illegally by-passed the water connection have chosen not to co-operate.
“They can get help from the City through their local ward councillors or their local municipal offices, where they can be exempted from paying for services through the Indigent Policy that the City has in place to address such challenges.”
Joburg Water provides 6000 litres of free water to the residents of Joburg.
“Joburg Water is a caring organisation and would not deprive the residents of Joburg an essential and life giving service that is ‘water’ maliciously,” he said.
Residents are urged to use the 6000 litres sparingly because if used wisely most houses would not have to pay for their water.
