Monday 24 February 2014

Lining pockets with water money

My Beci got a RDP house several years back.  A house she has cherished and taken care of, improved where she could and cried over when the hail broke her windows recently.  As a single parent with an unemployed son (an unemployed son note, not one incapable of working, simple unwilling to find aforementioned work), she turns every cent over twice. 

Beci is a master at fashion.  She knows every vendor in every corner of Marabastad.  She has every contact for every thing she likes.  She outdresses me by far and her colour co-ordinated very joosh look has everyone double-taking as she walks from the bus stop to our house.  I always tease her about it. 

Like every South African she simply wants to live in peace.  Be treated fairly.  Have a government who cares for her.  Now if you want to get her revved up, then you must talk politics.  Her feelings are quite clear about who she likes and who not.  And as she does not suffer fools, she is one of a growing number of people who intend to speak out with their vote.  With her hand on her hip and her other hand swinging to and fro in the air, she expresses her opinions, and boy does she have opinions. 

2 weeks ago Beci came to me in tears.  Her water had been switched off.  This was weird as she pays roughly R100 per month for water and always pays on time.  The Council then asked her to get an employment letter from me so that she could pay off "the arrears" in instalments.  She does not have arrears.  Next came a letter stating that she owes 
R4000.  Then she finds out that every single house in Klipgat is without water and every single resident has a similar letter varying from R1000 upwards.  Now after enquiring she is told that it is a water cost attached to the original handing over of the RDP house to her years ago.  How can that be her cost?  It is quite a sum if several hundred residents each cough up R1000 to R4000 ....... a lovely lining for someone's pocket or several pockets. 

So a residents meeting is called for Thursday evening .... I tell Beci she must go.  I make several fruitless calls to the Councillor for Klipgat.  She tells me they turned out in droves. The representative of the Council tells them he knows nothing about the water cut-offs even though they all have letters.  It appears to be a futile evening. 

The following morning hundreds of residents gather outside the municipal office.  They light a fire and systematically walk past it dropping in their overdue notices.  It is a desperate move to try and get the water supply that they have paid for, switched on. The crowd is getting restless.  Aforementioned representatives seem to be able to wave a previously "did not know about it" magical wand.  The water is flowing in abundance half an hour later. 

Beci arrives this morning to say she has received an "adjusted amount".  R62.  

It is a travesty that they had to go through all that.  

till soon
c'est la vie 
xxx 


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