An elderly couple in Venterspos say their daily lives have been disrupted after the Rand West City Local Municipality began installing water meter restrictors on households registered as indigent.

Johan and Irene Bosman were the first of three households in their area earmarked for water restrictions.

The couple, who have lived in Venterspos for more than a decade and rely on their indigent status for basic services, say water now barely flows from their taps and often stops seconds after being opened. Under the municipality’s Water Demand Management Programme, restrictors have been fitted to cap usage at the 6 000-litre free basic monthly allocation for qualifying households.

“We used to have enough water for cooking, cleaning and washing clothes,” Johan says.

“Now we don’t have anything. We have to go to our neighbours with buckets and drums to get water because their water flow is unrestricted.”

Irene says they have had to buy prepaid water, in addition to prepaid electricity, to meet their daily needs, placing further strain on their limited budget. Both receive SASSA pensions, which already cover household expenses. She adds that she suffers from a hernia and osteoarthritis, making it difficult to carry buckets of water.

The couple further claims that officials who installed the restrictor did not identify themselves with official badges or provide a letter from the municipality. Johan also alleges that only his household was restricted, despite other households in the street being registered as indigent.

Their situation reflects broader concerns among Venterspos residents, many of whom say the restrictors were installed without adequate consultation or prior notice from municipal officials or their ward councillor. Some residents gathered at the Bosman home in support.

Veronica Rossouw, a resident, says the water supply has been an ongoing problem in Venterspos, particularly during summer and the festive season.

“Last year we didn’t have water for 62 days, starting from October until December,” Rossouw said.

Another resident, Meisie du Plessis, says sewerage problems, high electricity tariffs and potholes have been neglected by the municipality.

Also read: Rand West City rolls out water meter restrictors

Residents say they feel abandoned by their councillor and the mayor of the West Rand district. They have begun repairing potholes themselves using tar donated by a community member. Du Plessis also says electricity meters were installed for only some residents, while others still receive electricity without being billed through meters.

Municipal spokesperson Phillip Montshiwa said the restrictions are intended to curb overconsumption and protect limited water resources, and that supply will not be fully disconnected.

However, affected families argue that the monthly allocation is insufficient, particularly for households with young children, elderly residents or those with health conditions requiring strict hygiene.

The Randfontein Herald approached the municipality for further comment, but none had been received at the time of publication.

The Herald has also requested six months’ worth of municipal billing statements from the Bosmans to verify their monthly water consumption and will report further once these have been reviewed.

The Bosmans say they are awaiting clarification from the municipality on why they were not informed in advance and whether emergency increases or additional support are available for struggling households.\