When you are abiding by the law and others around you show clear defiance, how would you react? Do you continue doing the good deed or do you adopt an ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ attitude?

When it comes to the imposed water restrictions, residents are on both sides of the fence. With obvious disregard of the notice served on car wash businesses to restrict water use on designated days, some illegal car wash business continue to operate.

Rampant water wastage is also seen in areas that have access to an unrestricted tap. The case in point is at the Alfred Street taxi rank.
A tap is situated close to the roadside and besides leaking incessantly for more than three weeks, it is used to wash taxis and private vehicles and sometimes the public can be seen filling barrels of water and loading onto an awaiting vehicle, ready to be transported.

This blatant disregard for the water restrictions has left many residents questioning the district municipality’s genuineness about conserving water.

“No one is keeping an eye on the illegal car wash businesses in town but we, the residents, are expected to save water or else we will be penalised,” commented a resident who did not want to be named.

“What about the water leaks that are never fixed on time? Recently there was a water leak in Tom Cross Street and it was left unattended for hours,” commented another resident.

These comments as well as photographs were been sent to Uthukela District Municipality’s communications division more than two weeks ago.