Vaal triangle leaking to death

VEREENIGING. – Water leaks all over the Vaal region see megalitres of clean water flowing into storm water drains and thence into local water ways.

Complaints pouring in to Vaalweekblad are characterised by reports that parts are not available for repairs.

This is common but not what Ms Daleen Beyers of Bedworth Park was told.  She was told nothing. Worse, she has been continuously billed by the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) because the water flooding her yard since November 2015. It comes from a manhole on her property. She has municipal reference numbers but Council has simply never been to look at the crisis and the bills just keep piling up.

A leak reported by Ms Heleen Muller of CE5 has been flowing since November 2015. Another leak on the corner of Hendrik van Eck Bouleward and Fir Street (SW3) has been flowing since December.

A leak that flowed for five months in SW5 was reported and but resulted only in the issuing of a reference number and a warning that the free-flowing water should not be used to fill a resident’s swimming pool.

Businesswoman Ms Corrie van der Merwe of SW1 says she is now losing business because, for years, blocked stormwater drains mean rainwater simply accumulates on the corner of Helena Lochner and Boswell Streets and sits there until it evaporates. This is to the extent that customers have stopped patronising her shop.

Ms Muller says numerous reference numbers have accumulated but nothing has happened in spite of a notification emailed to Council by the ward councillor.

Previously, leaks were reported from SE8, CE4,  SW2 and other areas.

Councillor James Wright (Ward 10) acknowledged the severity of the crisis and said he knew only that leaks were being prioritised for repair. He told Vaalweekblad he hoped to glean further information from a section 80 meeting in Duncanville he was about to attend.

Cllr Wright plays a key role on that committee regarding water and sanitation.

A Vanderbijlpark resident believes locals should go the same route as elsewhere in South Africa, paying rates and taxes into a special account while a lawyer prevents electrical cut-offs until a dispute is resolved.

This was – in the past – the arrangement between payers of rates and taxes and a special municipal Helpline. That was nearly a decade ago when a multi-skilled task team was probing illegal electrical cut-offs for unrelated arrears and other causes of irregular billing.