Carletonville residents frustrated as Merafong Municipality ignores ongoing water leaks
Despite repeated reports and community outcry, no action has been taken.
Monday began on a frustrating note for many Carletonville residents, as repeated calls for help regarding water leaks continued to go unanswered by the Merafong City Local Municipality.
Households and businesses in areas including Station Street, Juliana Street, Oberholzer, and several others have been battling unattended water leaks, some of which have been reported for over a year.
“We have a very bad leak on our pavement. It’s been reported several times on March 13 and 17, and again on April 10 and 14. Still, no one has come to help. Thousands of litres of drinking water are literally going down the drain every hour,” lamented a resident of Station Street.
A resident of Juliana Street shared a similar concern: “Water has been running continuously at the corner of Juliana and Hendrik Street. I’ve reported it multiple times since April 30, but nothing has been done.”
Local businesses are also affected. An employee from a sand yard in Oberholzer said, “Water has been leaking for weeks. We report it every week, but we’re ignored.”
On the same day, the Carletonville Herald observed visible water leaks in Dolomite Road, Agnew Road, Kaolin Street, and Reinecke Street. Disturbingly, some of these leaks, such as those in Agnew, Kaolin, and Reinecke, have existed for over a year.
Residents have voiced growing concerns that these persistent water leaks could lead to sinkhole formation, a real threat in this dolomitic area. The municipality also has to pay Rand Water for the water wasted in the leaks.
Ward Councillor Carl Steenekamp confirmed that he has repeatedly reported these issues to officials in the municipal Water and Sanitation Services Department, but with no resolution, and planned to escalate the matter to their senior managers.
The Herald contacted the Merafong City Local Municipality for comment regarding their inaction on the leaks. However, no response was received by the time of publication.
As public frustration grows, residents are calling for urgent action to address the leaks and hold municipal departments accountable for neglecting critical infrastructure issues.
