Residents of a Pretoria township are demanding that their July municipal water bills be scrapped after they allowed hundreds of others to use their taps during week-long supply disruptions.
Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, was among the areas hit by water shortages last week after an explosion at the Rand Water booster station affected the supply to parts of the township.
Some Soshanguve residents opened their homes to allow others from the hardest hit parts of the township to get water.
Now residents in Block UU of the township are preparing a petition in which they appeal to the City of Tshwane to scrap their July water bills, believing they will be sky high because they allowed other residents to get water from their taps.
Tshireletso Ndlovu, 38, said the city had promised to send water tankers to all the affected areas in the township but failed to do so.
She said they could not deny their neighbours water and let them suffer.
“My July municipal water bill was the last thing on my mind,” Ndlovu said.
She said it was only fair that the municipality foot the costs of the July water bills of the entire Block UU.
Ntombizodwa Zulu, 52, said she hoped the city would look favourably at their request.
“We have considered the needs of other residents at our own cost. All we ask for is for the metro to consider our act benevolence,” she said.
Sfiso Sibiya, 43, another Soshanguve resident who found himself without water for the entire week, said it made sense that the municipality should not bill those who assisted them with water.
Sibiya said hundreds of people were allowed to get water without any payment demanded.
“It was all act of kindness and ubuntu. We had to cook, eat and bath daily so I had to go to block GG on a daily basis to collect water,” Sibiya said.
Sibiya said that he has also signed a petition to the city and believes that it's the right thing to do.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashego said: “There is no provision in the regulations for the city to scrap off water consumption as a result of water shortages.”
Mashego said the city had dispatched temporary water tankers to assist areas that had experienced water shortages.
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