Johannesburg Water (JW) has responded to complaints that the entity is increasingly missing its service level agreement (SLA) deadline of 48 hours in responding to queries and service calls.

Resident Danie Stander says he first reported a serious leak on his sidewalk in Mcinerney Ave on May 21, and by June 16, at the Record’s visit to the property, the entity had not yet effectively responded to his complaint.

“They said they could not find the leak,” says Stander, who adds that the leak was so severe that he feared for the structural integrity of his boundary wall.

“Every morning, the section of our garden closest to the boundary wall would be completely drenched. The grass started dying and our lapa was flooded.

“I located the site of the leakage myself and dug it open for JW, but despite numerous further enquiries, they never responded.

“I went as far as contacting our ward councillor for help. The councillor escalated the matter and still JW simply did not respond.”

Stander says JW eventually resolved the problem seven weeks after he first logged the call.

“I ended up going to the JW depot myself on June 25, whereupon a manager at the depot appointed a team to come out.”

He adds that his entire driveway was dug up and damaged in the course of the repair.

In response to questions submitted by the Record, JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala admitted that the entity has been under considerable pressure of late.

“JW strives to adhere to SLA timelines at all times. However, due to occasionally higher-priority issues, there are instances where meeting the set expectations may not be possible,” she says.

“Although we acknowledge that customers may not fully understand the technical aspects of JW’s systems, it remains essential that calls are logged with as much detailed and specific information as possible.

“To improve efficiency and ensure adherence to SLA timeframes, reported issues are often grouped together where appropriate.”

Shabala says a JW team did respond to the complaint, but at first upon inspection, could not identify any visible leak at the meter or surrounding area.

“It should be noted that not all leaks surface as some remain underground and are not immediately detectable.

“As a result, specialized leak detection equipment had to be deployed to trace and confirm the presence of a possible underground leak.”

Shabalala says residents who suffer damage due to delayed service responses from JW can request a claim form, which will be submitted to the entity’s insurance provider for compensation processing.