Residents raise alarm over Ekurhuleni’s billing system

Residents across Ekurhuleni are speaking out about skyrocketing water bills and the city’s failure to fix faulty meters and respond to complaints on time, leaving many frustrated and out of pocket.

July 1, 2025

Fanie Mthupha 4 minutes read

A Plantation resident gets significantly higher water bills than actual use because of what appears to be a damaged water meter.

Residents have raised alarm over the CoE’s billing system, calling it unreliable and accusing officials of dragging their feet on billing queries and repairing reported water leaks.

Concerned homeowners have questioned the credibility of the city’s billing process after receiving significantly inflated water bills, many of which appear to stem from faulty meters and unresolved leaks.

One such case involves Isaac Chauraya of Plantation, who said the city overcharged him for water use. According to him, his typical monthly consumption ranges from 20kl to 30kl. The municipality recorded a staggering 310kl usage for December and January combined. As if this were not enough, the city then billed him 144kl for February alone. Chauraya said he reported the overcharging in February. Thereafter, his water use dropped back to an average of 21.9kl per month, about 0.73kl daily, from March to May, consistent with previous consumption. “To me, it was obvious something was wrong. I lodged a formal dispute and, following advice from officials, hired a plumber to inspect the property,” said Chauraya.

“While he found no leaks on the property, the plumber detected a leak on the meter. Thereupon, I sent the information, including videos and pictures of the leaky meter, to the metro on May 5.

“Since then, I have battled to get them to come and fix the meter and address the exorbitant water bills.” Officials eventually investigated and stopped the leak on June 10, a day after this publication had sent a media enquiry on the reported water wastage. This was way later than the city’s standard turnaround time of addressing reported leaks within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.

Also Read: Water meter mix-up leads to costly account

City response and dispute timeline

When asked about the overcharging and delayed response, the city stated: “The customer enquired with the Boksburg meter office regarding high consumption on May 2.”

Chauraya maintains he first reported the issue in February to an official named Pearl Buthelezi on the third floor of the municipal offices. After no action, he returned on May 2 to follow up. That day, the city told him to check for internal leaks and request a meter test. The metro confirmed the leak and acknowledged receiving Chauraya’s report, including steps he took to resolve the issue.

Who’s responsible for the waste?

Now that a meter leak has been confirmed, Chauraya wants to know who is responsible for the wasted water and if he’ll be held liable for inaccurate charges. While he believes the cause was the faulty meter, the city insists the return to normal billing suggests an internal leak may have been found and resolved. Officials said the meter leak was minor and was repaired the same day they attended, and that Chauraya didn’t complete the meter testing process despite being advised to do so.

Another case of overbilling

In Boksburg West, Estelle De Bruyn faced a similar issue. Since March, she says she’s been charged twice for water, one bill for actual use and an “interim” bill following a meter replacement. “In March, we reported a leaking pipe at the meter. Four days later, they replaced the pipe and meter,” she explained.

“After that, we began receiving bills for actual use – around 10kl to 13kl – and a separate interim bill for 50kl.

“I’ve called their offices several times, but their phones just rang unanswered. I have not yet had time to take a day off work to go to their offices. So, I’m paying twice to avoid the disconnection of our electricity and other services.

“It’s absurd. How difficult can it be to spot and fix this? It appears that the municipality pays little or no attention to ensure water charges levied are correct. We’re happy to pay for what we use, but it’s unfair to be forced to pay up to four times more than our actual usage,” she said.

What to do if overcharged If your water bill is unusually high, understanding the dispute process and possible causes of overbilling is crucial.

According to the city, the standard procedure is to begin with internal leak inspections. Only after ruling out internal issues should you request payable services like meter tests.

If a dispute is lodged under Section 22 of the Water Supply Bylaws, and a meter test is paid for, the city will immediately replace the meter and monitor the new one for at least three months. After this, the city typically resolves disputes within three to four months.

If no response is received before the next billing cycle, customers should follow up with the same office where they filed the original complaint.

By law, the city is responsible for leaks outside the property boundary or before the meter. This includes defective municipal meters. Consumers are not liable for water lost due to these issues.

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