A Daggafontein family faces a massive monthly water bill after household charges jumped from about R2 400 to thousands of rands within months.

Speaking to the Springs Advertiser, Lorraine Sweeting said the household received a water bill of about R15 000 at the end of June, compared with its usual bill of about R2 400.

According to Sweeting, the City of Ekurhuleni attributed the increase to high water consumption and suggested there was a leak on the property.

She queried the bill with the municipality, explaining that the meter was not moving, but officials insisted a leak was responsible.

An inspector sent to the property found no leak, and the meter remained still when no water was being used.

The following month, the bill increased to about R20 000, with the household allegedly recorded as using 268 kilolitres of water.

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Sweeting said the household, which consisted of four family members, including her three-year-old great-granddaughter, could not understand how such a large amount of water could have been consumed.

A municipal official advised Sweeting to have an independent company test the water meter, costing the household about R4 400 to remove the old meter on July 22 and install a new one. Almost two months later, she said the family was still waiting for the results.

“We still have had no word back from them on whether our meter was faulty, nothing,” Sweeting said.

Despite the pending test, the disputed amount kept rising, reaching about R41 000 by the end of August.

She said the family was also issued with a termination letter threatening the disconnection of their electricity because of the outstanding water account.

Sweeting said they were subsequently placed on a payment arrangement requiring them to pay R10 000 a month towards the outstanding amount, in addition to their normal monthly bill.

“I do not even know where we are going to get this money from,” Sweeting said. “My pension is not even R10 000 a month.”

Sweeting said the family has had to rely on donations through a BackaBuddy account to help cover the disputed bill.

She also raised concerns about entering into a payment arrangement while disputing the charges. According to Sweeting, municipal officials told her that making a payment arrangement could mean accepting liability for the water usage.

“If you make a payment plan, it means that you are in guilt. You are saying you used this water. You’re admitting guilt,” Sweeting recalled being told.

She questioned what residents were expected to do when they disputed a bill but faced the threat of having their electricity disconnected if they did not pay.

She further questioned whether an administrative error involving water meters could have occurred, saying the municipality had allegedly recorded incorrect information about meter changes at neighbouring properties.

Sweeting said she has spoken to other residents who have experienced similar sudden increases in their water bills.

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“I have got at least 10 to 15 different people from my social clubs that have said the same thing: that this has happened to them and they paid to be cut off by the metro,” Sweeting said.

She said one neighbour had experienced a similar problem before their water charges eventually returned to normal.

For Sweeting, the issue is not about refusing to pay for water consumed but about being charged for water she believes the household did not use.

“I just want our bills to be normal. I want to be charged for the right amount that we have used, not what we have not used,” she said.

Sweeting urged residents to monitor their water meters and keep photographic records of readings to help protect themselves against disputed bills.

“I think the outcome for this is just to make people aware that you need to really and truly take care of your meter. Take photographs and submit them so that nobody can tell you this is not the real reading,” Sweeting said.

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She is now waiting for the meter test results to determine whether the old meter was faulty and whether the disputed amount will be reconsidered.

City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini told the publication that the charges were based on readings obtained from the water meter. Dlamini confirmed that a municipal water inspector inspected the meter and found it functioning properly. He added that pipework after the municipal water meter is the property owner’s responsibility.

“The pipework downstream of the water meter forms part of the property’s internal plumbing installation and, as such, remains the responsibility of the consumer/property owner,” said Dlamini.

Regarding the meter test, Dlamini said the original meter was removed on July 28 and remains under test.

“The water meter is currently in the meter testing process, which takes approximately three months,” he said.

He said the resident had not yet received the results because the process was still within the stipulated timeframe. Dlamini indicated that meter readings and photographs supported the high consumption. He explained that if the meter is found to have been faulty, the account would be corrected.

“Yes, the account will be corrected accordingly as per the city’s by-laws and metering policy,” he said.

He added that the municipality would not issue a refund for amounts already paid, but would instead place the account in credit.

On payment arrangements for disputed accounts, Dlamini said a payment extension on the disputed levy is processed until the matter is resolved.

Echoing Sweeting’s words, he said entering into a payment arrangement constitutes an admission that the disputed consumption is correct and that such an arrangement occurs after the query has been resolved.

He advised residents who believe their water consumption readings are incorrect to bring the matter to the city’s attention.

Dlamini said the city does not have a centralised record of complaints about unusually high water consumption in Springs because different departments handle queries.

“Queries are handled by different departments at various stages; therefore, no centralised record of the queries and their resolutions is maintained,” he said.

Dlamini also said it had not identified any wider problems with water meter readings, meter changes or account allocations in the area.