Residents of Robinpark and parts of Greenhills say they have endured months of daily water restrictions while a leak in their street has been left flowing for nearly a year – wasting thousands of litres of clean water.
Pensioner James Bredenkamp said he has reported the leak several times, but ‘nothing has been done to fix it’.
The water, he explained, has started damaging the tar road and weakening the wall of his property, which he fears could collapse at any moment.
It frustrates me that the leak runs constantly, yet we have to suffer water restrictions,” he said.
Bredenkamp added that residents are often left without water from early morning until late afternoon.
“I feel sorry for the working residents who wake up without water and come home to no water. We have sick people living here who depend on water. I, as a pensioner, struggle to do my laundry. When showering, sometimes the water just disappears, and you cannot even wash the soap off. Water is a critical service, and the fact that this has been going on for so long is becoming unacceptable,” he said.
He also criticised the municipality for not providing a restriction schedule, saying it makes it difficult for residents to prepare.
“I love Randfontein, but at the pace this is going, I have no idea what it will come to,” he exclaimed.
Long-time residents James and Magrietha Wray share his frustration.
“We are one of the longest residents, and in these few years, the water services have become devastating. We feel that they [the municipality] always complain that we have to save water, but in this street, there is a constant flow of water. We have gone days without water, and we were never informed there would be water restrictions,” they said.
The couple said they bought a water tank to cope with the outages – an expense they feel should not have been necessary.
We pay our levies punctually – we pay for water. Still, our complaints fall on deaf ears,” they expressed.
Resident Tina Grobler believes the restrictions stem from the municipality’s failure to pay its water account.
She referred to an advertisement Rand Water placed in the Randfontein Herald on 4 July, confirming that it had reduced supply to Rand West City Municipality due to an outstanding debt exceeding R800m.
The notice stated that Rand Water’s actions aimed to hold the municipality accountable for failing to comply with Section 65(2)(e) of the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003, and with the Bulk Water Supply Contract between the two parties.
The Herald previously reported, on December 23, 2023, that the municipality was among several in arrears with Rand Water. At that time, the debt stood at R400m.
The earlier statement from Rand Water read:
“It is important to note that should Rand Water be placed under further ongoing financial risk, the entity will be plunged into a debt crisis, which will impact all municipalities currently serviced by Rand Water and curtail the ability of Rand Water to finance the construction of bulk water infrastructure and to undertake adequate maintenance of its extensive network. This would have dire consequences on the entire network, particularly the Gauteng Province and other parts of the country that are serviced by Rand Water.”
Meanwhile, Jaco Jonker, another Robinpark resident, said the unpredictable restrictions make daily routines a struggle.
I have been living here for four years. When I look at the group chat on WhatsApp, I always see residents complaining about a burst pipe or maintenance issues. It cannot go on like this.
“I feel for the residents. People cannot always buy water tanks or water at the shops. They are left without water when these restrictions are put in place,” Jonker said.
When approached for comment on October 1, Rand West City Municipality spokesperson Phillip Montshiwa said the matter had been referred to the relevant department and ‘will be addressed’.
The Herald also asked for a time frame for the repair, but Montshiwa said he would provide an update once he had received feedback from the department.
