Using fire hydrant could land you in jail
“No one is allowed to operate a fire hydrant other than an engineer appointed by the city."
The Tshwane metro has warned residents against using fire hydrants, saying only its engineers were permitted to use them.
Recently residents have been complaining people at various taxi ranks used water from fire hydrants to wash vehicles.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said it was illegal for residents to use fire hydrants, adding that their main purpose was firefighting.
“No one is allowed to operate a fire hydrant other than an engineer appointed by the city,” he said.
According to municipal by-laws, no one is allowed to interfere with the provision of water supply services.
Mashigo added that should anyone be caught using the hydrants without the metro’s permission, they would be issued with a notice for contravention of the municipality’s by-laws.
“If the offence continues, a penalty of a fine not exceeding R20 000 will be imposed or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months.”
He, however, said the only instance one would be allowed to use a hydrant was when the municipality has authorised such an act, adding that it may also be used temporarily to supply water to residents.
Meshack Mthimkhulo, taxi washer in Bosman taxi rank in downtown Pretoria, said he didn’t know that it was illegal to use the fire hydrants.
“They are convenient for us as there are no taps here in the taxi rank for us to get water. Besides, these taps never work, so we use them to wash taxis to survive,” Mthimkhulu said.
Mosiuwa Chatane, who operates between Sammy Marks and State Theatre, said he couldn’t be bothered by municipal by-laws, because the very people who were supposed to implement them in fact broke them.
“It’s not that I disregard the laws of our country, but sometimes these laws are not for us, ordinary citizens. For instance, I am not doing what I am doing for fun, but I am doing it so that I can be able to put bread on the table, also to be able to pay rent for myself,” Chatane said.
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