Water meter theft concerns ward councillor
"Every morning I receive calls and SMS messages from people across my ward, complaining that their meters had been stolen.”
Water meter theft has increased in ward 66 during recent weeks.
“There is an average of about 10 meters stolen per day,” said ward councillor, Clr Carlos da Rocha.
“That excludes those that are not reported to me. Every morning I receive calls and SMS messages from people across my ward, complaining that their meters had been stolen,” said Clr Da Rocha.
He said the Joburg Water call centre is not accessible, which frustrates the residents.
“People cannot get through to the call centre and that makes the matter even worse. What I normally do is contact the manager who deals with my ward. He is fantastic. He works with me in resolving these issues. Joburg Water is all over replacing the stolen meters. It is becoming an epidemic,” said Clr Da Rocha.
He said together with Joburg Water, they are conducting an investigation into apparent shoddy work by officials.
“Residents complain that water meters that have been replaced are not covered properly,” said Clr Da Rocha.
Mr Muzi Mazibuko said his meter was also not installed correctly.
He said the water meter was not installed deep enough.
“The pipes were left hanging. It was just poorly done,” he said.
Clr Da Rocha said the manager from Joburg Water, who is responsible for ward 66, is also addressing the concerns regarding poor workmanship.
He urged residents to continue reporting complaints to the call centre. Alternatively, residents can contact Clr Da Rocha on 083 447 3648.
The EXPRESS sent a request for comment to Joburg Water on November 4 and requested comment by November 5 at 9am.
No comment has been received.
