A Gelvandale family have been charged R20,000 for water usage for November after they reported an underground leak on their property months ago.
The St Adams Drive family reported the leak in January but say their complaint was closed before the job was done.
Officials did fix a leaking water meter but left the underground leak in March.
Maxine Perreira, 36, said a municipal team was dispatched to replace the meter and fix the underground leak.
But now they have been charged for water leaking out of the underground leak.
“When they came to replace the meter we assumed that they had fixed the underground leak; however, after we noticed the high bill I went to inquire at Brister House [Lillian Diedricks Building] in October,” she said.
She said after they got a bill for R5,000 more for water in October, she was told to hire a plumber to investigate.
“This is a worry for me and my family because this month the municipality charged us more than R20,000 for water and sent a message that if we don’t settle by December they would block us from buying electricity,” she said.
She said she was unemployed and her parents were both on pensions and unable to afford a private plumber.
“I don’t understand this amount of water consumption.
“We don’t have a swimming pool, geyser or water business.
“Why is the metro not doing maintenance work while we pay rates?”
Perreira said she had informed their ward councillor’s office and was told that it could be that the plumbers sent by the municipality never fixed the leak.
“My account is R5,000 in arrears and has gone up because of the interest.
“I have been retrenched and need to get money to detect the leak.”
Ward 13 councillor Ingrid Leslie van Wyk said she was not aware of the matter but advised the family to visit her office.
She said the municipality would fix leaks along pipelines, but problems at properties were the responsibility of the owner.
“If the problem is inside the property, the owner has an obligation to hire a private plumber to detect the problem and write an affidavit.”
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