Pensioner and son left without water for eight days

It was a case of bitter-sweet success after one Ferndale resident visited the City of Johannesburg’s Region B open-day on 19 June to make a query on her heavily overcharged municipal bill.

Carol Francis and her special-needs son were left without water for eight days due to a billing issue.

Francis said, “I am a Kensington B pensioner, and the billing issue on my water account has been incorrectly read since January 2019. It said that I owed thousands, and I have never defaulted on my bills in over 50 years.”

Francis’ home had its water cut off on 12 June, leaving her unable to adequately take care of her special-needs son.

“What I explained to everyone I spoke to, was that I have a son who is quadriplegic and is mostly bedridden and who needs constant care with all his needs, but that made no difference. No matter which number I phoned, I was left hanging on and then got cut off or the call just did not get answered.”

After spending the day in Jorrison Street, an instruction to reconnect was given by the City.

“They told me, as my problem is an ongoing unresolved one, the water would be reconnected either Thursday night or Friday,” she said.

Francis said that after going into the Randburg Civic Centre offices on umpteenth occasions and sitting in their long queues, she was told to keep paying her normal amount and wait until 19 to 20 June to query her issue at the open day.

Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood said, “The water has been reconnected and I am glad that she and her son are able to use their water again. As to why it took days to sort the problem out, I am not too sure. Her account billed was quite high, but thankfully there were a number of reversals.”

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