A 72-year-old Sunninghill pensioner says he has been left without water for weeks and caught in an administrative maze after Johannesburg Water (JW) allegedly mishandled his meter installation and billing.

Daniel Oganah, who has lived on Edison Crescent for more than 20 years, describes the ordeal as stressful and exhausting, saying that it is taking a toll on his health.

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Oganah’s troubles began on September 1, 2024, when JW officials arrived at his property and removed his existing water meter, replacing it with a smart meter. “I did not order a smart meter, nor did I request the removal of the old one. I assumed it was just part of a citywide upgrade.”

The replacement, however, triggered a chain of complications. For months after the new meter was installed, Oganah received no municipal bills. Then, in December 2024, he was issued a pre-termination notice despite never having been billed since the so-called upgrade. “I went to JW’s offices and was told the matter would be looked into, but nothing came of it.”

The matter came to a head earlier this month, when Oganah discovered his taps had run dry. On inspection, he realised that the water meter had been removed altogether. “I have no water and no meter outside. At my age, this is extremely stressful.”

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Adding to the pensioner’s frustration, the paperwork linked to his case pointed to a different erf number, suggesting possible administrative errors in JW’s system. “This is a complete contradiction. They removed the old meter without taking final readings, installed a smart meter without my consent, then removed that as well. It doesn’t make sense.”

When contacted for comment, JW spokesperson Nolwazi Shabalala confirmed that the matter was under investigation. “The depot team has checked the reference number on our system, and it points to the house on Edison Crescent. At this address, a disconnection was carried out under instruction from the City of Johannesburg due to an outstanding account.”

Oganah disputes the explanation, saying that his wife has been making intermittent payments, and insisting the lack of billing was caused by JW’s administrative mix-up.
Shabalala added that JW was liaising with its technical teams and would provide a full response once the investigation was concluded.

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