GROUNDUP: Joburg mom’s R2.6-million water bill reversed after meter confirmed as faulty

The Public Protector has intervened and saved a Johannesburg mother R2.6-million on her municipal bill, mostly water charges.

Earlier this year, GroundUp reported on the bizarre case after being contacted by Jenny-Lee Bot, who got the shock of her life when her bill had jumped from R1,334 in July 2023 to R454,192 the next month.

Extremely high water readings persisted, fluctuating between 1,420kL and 5,965kL, well above the average of roughly 35kL per month for a family of four. Her bills averaged a quarter of a million rand a month.

Several experts said the bill must be erroneous as a house using that much water would show signs of flooding.

Bot paid to have her meter tested, but this was not done. Instead, she was sent “from pillar to post” for two years, making dozens of visits to Johannesburg Water. Meanwhile her electricity and water were repeatedly disconnected by the municipality.

The bill continued to incur interest and rose to more than R2.9-million.

In April, Johannesburg Water told GroundUp that Bot’s consumption “cannot be attributed to a fault within the municipal system”, and “the account does not meet the criteria for a billing adjustment”.

It blamed the homeowner.

The City insisted on a 50% upfront payment before engaging in any formal dispute resolution.

“It is insane that such a huge mistake can put me in liquidation if I cannot find a remedy,” Bot told GroundUp at the time.

Public Protector steps in

Public Protector spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said Bot’s story drew them to investigate her case. The office subsequently mediated a settlement between Bot, Johannesburg Water, and the Johannesburg Ombudsman.

“The matter was ultimately resolved” and the incorrect billing was reversed, said Segalwe. He added that the intervention demonstrated the impact of their work – to redress maladministration and bring relief to distressed members of the public by holding state entities to account.

This week, Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala acknowledged that Bot “had been billed incorrectly” and the entity had “processed a credit adjustment on the account”.

Shabalala said Bot’s application for a meter test was never received.

During the mediation, Bot showed her proof of payment, and the meter was then tested. She was credited over R2.6-million as “test results confirmed that the meter was faulty due to a defective register”.

A new meter was installed. Bot said that if not for GroundUp’s report, her family would “still be in deep trouble”.

Billing crisis

Johannesburg Water faces a monumental task in addressing its revenue collection challenges. According to the entity’s most recent annual report, Johannesburg non-revenue water stood at about 45%, which represents R3.8-billion in unbilled or lost water.

The utility’s annual collection rate was just under 75%, which falls substantially below the National Treasury norm of 95%.

Julia Fish, head of JoburgCAN, said there were countless stories of residents facing similar billing issues as Johannesburg Water attempted to claw back revenue.

Fish said incorrect and disputed bills had been a persistent problem, especially in the past two years. Residents had battled lengthy dispute processes and inconsistent services. She said regional emails often went unanswered.

Fish said some disputes remained unresolved for years, while pensioners and other residents on fixed incomes were threatened with disconnection despite having valid disputes.

She said the system needed more digitisation and oversight.

“I can’t necessarily say that the debtors’ book of the City of Joburg is credible given the volume of billing disputes,” she said. DM

This article first appeared in GroundUp.