“This is like a river,” said Ian Garden, talking to the City Times from a water leak on Belloc Road.
“I am going to advertise my house as a safari lodge, I’m just waiting for the animals to come to the watering hole.
“I told my wife our property value has just gone up because we are on a riverside now.”
Despite his sense of humour, Garden was dissatisfied with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM).
Garden was awoken to a large amount of water flowing past his driveway in the early hours of Thursday morning, May 28.
He reported the leak immediately to the Ekurhueni emergency call centre number.
It took around 12 hours for the metro to attend to the leak.
Clr Mary Goby said the water officials arrived to switch off the water supply on Thursday afternoon.
They then came back later afternoon to repair the leak and switch the water back on.
That night, a leak emanated from the same spot.
It was repaired for the second time on Saturday morning.
Garden said the 24-hour call centre is ineffective, as it appears maintenance teams work only during office hours.
“I wouldn’t worry, but for the incompetence of the council – when you ask them to come to do something about it and they don’t show interest,” said Garden.
“… This is water that has been purified, it’s wastage.
“When I have a water leak, not even as big as this, I have to pay for it, but who pays for this?
“In other words, it’s written off.”
