Thousands of litres of clean water have been lost in Toekomsrus, due to a faulty water hydrant on the corner of Apricot and Mango Streets during the past three years, with no action taken to curb the wastage.

According to DA councillor, Gerald Samson, the water has been flowing since he took office after the last local municipal elections in 2016.

That is just as far as I know,” he said, adding that loss amounts to millions of rands.

Samson also said, “Mind you, at our last council meeting, we noted that the council has been billed R10 million for excessive water use. The situation in Toekomsrus is just one of the main reasons we will keep incurring high water costs”.

Samson went on to say that this might not be the only problem, as there could be many more that have not been reported.

Poulina Modisane, whose property is located near the hydrant, said the problem goes as far back as 2015, when municipal workers left without closing it properly.

“When I go to town, I always make sure I go to the municipality to report it, but they always send me back saying they will attend to it,” she said. She added that even when they do come, they leave without doing anything.

She said at one stage, she was issued with a water bill of R1 800, an issue she managed to rectified.

Councillor Samson said the situation is not only a terrible waste of resources; it’s also damaging the infrastructure.

“There was certain area that had to be resurfaced, but that still did not help because the water just washes the concrete away,” Samson added.