Unexpected water cut restores hope in service delivery
SANDHURST - American ex-pat Iantress Bennett was almost left disillusioned with South Africa's service delivery after a leaking pipe outside his Sandhurst home left him, and residents of his Boundary Lane home, without water for two days.
But a prompt response from Joburg Water, shortly after his distressed call to the Chronicle, has restored his faith in the country’s powers-that-be.
Bennett contacted the Chronicle on 30 July to notify us of the situation. He said water was leaking onto the road outside his property and he and his family had had no water since Sunday, 28 July. He said he had contacted Joburg Water on the Sunday, when his household was left without water since the morning hours. Joburg Water had again been notified on the following Monday.
However, Joburg Water spokesperson Millicent Kabwe told the Chronicle they had been unable to locate Bennett’s complaint. She said, “Usually Joburg Water’s turnaround time for responding to a logged concern was 24 hours, however, because the residents have been without water (for longer than 24 hours) we will prioritise the repair and restoration of water.”
Bennett contacted the Chronicle soon after to say, in keeping with Kabwe’s promises, the water had been restored to his family’s home. “They came out and repaired the broken pipe within minutes. We have running water now, after none since early Sunday morning. Joburg Water officials even came back out today to see if our water was restored and told us we wouldn’t be billed for the excess water,” said a delighted Bennett.
