WATCH: Silulumanzi explains why water bills might be high at community meeting
The meeting was held on Wednesday at the Mbombela Civic Centre.
MBOMBELA – A local petition, “War Against High Water Bills” has received 600 signatures, yet only about 20 residents attended a public meeting with Silulumanzi on Wednesday.
Mbombela consumers have been especially vocal about their increasing water bills on Facebook. The meeting aimed to address their concerns and representatives from the water utility showed up en masses, outnumbering the aggrieved residents. Silulumanzi commercial manager, Abdul Khan started with a presentation about the water supply.
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The community then had the opportunity to ask questions. A major issue was community members who were fed up with high water bills. Khan explained that water had increased by 12 per cent in July and that this might be the reason for increased bills.
He also listed a variety of other reasons as to why your water bill might be higher than usual, including leaks in your water system. This, he explained, was for the consumer’s own bill, as maintenance of internal plumbing and pipes were not a part of their responsibility.
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“Still, we do try to help out where we can. It can be that we reduce your bill or we scrap the sewage bill in the case of a leak. We even have a credit programme where you can pay off the amount that you owe us with a payment plan that suits you.”
In the video below, Khan gives a variety of reasons why your water bill might be high and tips on how to reduce it:
