Residents from Joza and Phumlani say Makana Municipality has let them down, claiming their pleas to have leaking water meters seem to have been ignored.
Residents from Joza and Phumlani say Makana Municipality has let them down, claiming their pleas to have leaking water meters seem to have been ignored.
Extension 2 resident Khanyiswa Fiki told Grocott's Mail that the water meter in her yard has been leaking since last year. "I reported the problem at least seven or eight times, and I even approached the councillor who lives near my home to help me, but nothing has been done," Fiki said.
"The councillor spoke to them (municipality) about my problems a few weeks ago but they have never come to my house," she said. To make matters worse, Fiki's neighbours blame her for the water that leaks on to their properties.
Fiki showed Grocott's Mail a document she'd been given at the technical and infrastructure services department, acknowledging her complaint, dated 15 August.
"I was given this paper when I went to report this problem the last time, she said." She added that she was worried about the health of her children, who play around the stagnant water.
"It could make them sick and it's going to get worse in summer with mosquitoes and other insects," she said, noting that many other residents in Extension 2 had leaking water meters.
Another Extension 2 resident, Mzwandile Nkatazo, told Grocott's Mail that the water from Fiki's water meter floods his yard. "This is a problem that has been reported since last year," Nkatazo said. He said he had even called the municipality himself to report the problem. "But nobody answers the phone."
Joza resident Bongo Mpongoshe had a very different experience. "The municipality had fixed a leaking pipe in his home this week. I had to go to the water rates department to report my problem before it was finally fixed this week," Mpongoshe said.
Infrastructure and technical services director Thembinkosi Myalato wrote in an emailed response to questions from Grocott's Mail: "We are challenged with the ageing infrastructure and quality of the material used in the low-cost housing. The municipality is currently capacitating the water section in terms of appointing more plumbers and training the existing plumbers."
Myalato said the municipality was in the process of upgrading their customer complaints system. "We are busy capacitating and re-engineering the customer care desk as to be able to respond quickly and give feedback to the complainant(s)," Myalato said.
He said residents were encouraged to report the problems directly to the city engineer's offices. Myalato said the municipality had received R7 million for the current financial year from the Department of Water Affairs for Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WCWDM). "With the WCWDM programme, the water leaks around the Makana municipality will be a thing of the past," he said.
