Roodepoort West man endures 64-day spell without water after meter disappears
Meter removed in the middle of the night and eventually replaced under the same circumstances.
An elderly man was forced to live without a water supply for over two months.
Godfrey Kirk woke up on the morning of March 14 to discover his water meter was missing. Ruling out theft due to the neat removal and closing of the valve, Kirk put the blame firmly at the feet of Johannesburg Water. The 76-year-old then went on a long slog, approaching anyone within the entity to help solve his issue. Having collected several reference numbers but still living with dry taps, his last resort was the City of Johannesburg ombudsman.
“Depriving someone from water is a violation of human rights and is a crime answerable in a criminal court. As a resident since 1977, the illegal disconnection of my water and the stubborn refusal to reconnect after many fruitless service calls, is disgusting,” said Kirk, who was able to prove that his account was fully paid up and owed nothing to the City of Johannesburg.
Believing to be a victim of a ploy to force him, a lone elderly resident, from the area, Kirk was on the verge of giving up. Acknowledged by the ombudsman’s office, Kirk declined to follow through with the complaint, deciding relocation would be better. The elderly man had survived off the generosity of his Rubidge Road neighbours who allowed him to fill jugs of water while always having two 25-litre containers handy for when the opportunity presented itself.
Johannesburg Water acknowledged a request for information about Kirk’s situation on May 12 and a follow-up request was sent on May 16. No response was received but at roughly 22:00 on May 17, a Johannesburg Water crew arrived at the pensioner’s home to install a new meter. Still baffled as to why he was subjected to a 64-day dry spell, Kirk admitted it may still be time to end his 46-year stay in the suburb.
