HIGHVELD – Govan Mbeki Municipality did pay Rand Water before the 1 October deadline.
The question that still remains however, is how much was paid.
Mr Felani Mndebele, municipal manager, said last week that they are working on at least paying the monthly current account which varies between R24-million and R30-million per month.
A payment was made by late Monday, 30 September, and residents expecting the worst, were thankful for the normal water flow when they opened their taps on Tuesday, 1 October.
Rand Water currently pumps water to GMM at 80 per cent pressure. Had a payment not been made, the pressure would have been lowered to a mere 60 per cent.
Neither Rand Water nor the municipal manager were available on at time of going to press to verify how much was paid.
Ms Ciska Jordaan, caucus leader of the DA, said they were informed that GMM aimed to pay only R8-million on 30 September, and an unspecified amount the next day.
“Although we have not received any feedback, the fact that there are no places without water, is a good sign.”
Water leaks and electricity bridges add to the financial burdens of the municipality, because the consumption bill is larger than the amount that is recovered from those who actually pay for their water and electricity use.
A water leak in Kirstenbosch Street in Secunda is one of many that has not been repaired, despite numerous complaints since 2017.
Ms Naomi Victor, a resident in this street, said the neighbours were forced to dig a trench by which they can divert the rising water from a leaking municipal water pipe into the storm water system.
“The water was pooling up and almost caused a fence to collapse,” said Ms Victor.
The neighbours now scoop up some of this clear drinking water to water their gardens.
Ms Jordaan said councillors asked for a monthly report on how many water leaks have been repaired.
“All we asked was that the workers become pro-active. If someone from waste management sees water leaks, he should report it to the relevant department.
“The recent meter audits were also a good why to pick up on malfunctioning meters and water leak,” she said.
The municipal spokesmen were not available for comment at time of going to press.
