The Kimberley Prospector

A wave of outrage is sweeping Kimberley as residents face outrageously inflated water bills for February 2024. Nowhere is this more shocking than in the case of a pensioner who received a 50Kl (50,000 litres) charge. For their low-consumption, single-person household, this amount seems plucked from a realm of fantasy.

This pensioner’s plight is far from unique. Residents across the city share a common thread of frustration. “How can people pay MORE for water when there was NO water?” one resident asks. Another shares, “My water bill has doubled…even though we’ve been using LESS.” The community senses something deeply wrong, with one resident proclaiming, “I’m tired of being lied to… We deserve better.”

The community’s frustration has two root causes:

1. Impossible Bills, Growing Distrust: Residents find the charges illogical amidst the well-known water woes. “My garden is dead from NO water, but my water reading is way higher than ever,” remarks one Kimberley resident. Trust in the municipality’s system is shattered as the bills themselves seem to defy logic.
2. Frequent Interruptions, Inaccurate Meters: Kimberley has faced persistent water problems. Nightly outages are routine, with additional daytime disruptions compounding the issue. News reports spotlight Newton Reservoir’s failures throughout this period. Residents lay the blame squarely on air in the lines: “All that air that goes through the meter when the water sometimes comes back on,” one explains.

The Evidence:

• Pensioner’s Usage History: Past bills consistently show an average usage of around 5Kl/month, making the current 50Kl bill a glaring anomaly.
• Community Complaints: Other residents report inflated bills, even when hardly using water. “We were away for 2 weeks – how the hell?!” someone exclaims.
• Independent Readings: “I take my own readings every month… I’m just paying for air!” another resident insists.
• Compounding Problem: A Klisserville resident points out: “The nightly, daily, and unscheduled water shutdowns…have gone on so long that the daily average meter reading is actually no longer a true reflection of actual water consumption… [this generates] a nice additional income for the municipality.”

Visualizing the Absurdity

This pensioner is the epitome of water conservation, their every habit shaped by the ongoing scarcity. They carefully measure water for cooking and drinking, mindfully wash their hands, and likely even limit toilet flushes. Let’s assume their daily usage totals around 16 litres – a generous estimate given their habits.

Now, imagine trying to explain the 50Kl water bill. You’d have to tell them that their careful, frugal lifestyle suddenly transformed. For that bill to be accurate, they’d have to use over 550 times their normal amount of water for drinking and cooking – thousands of litres instead of a few. Every handwash would become a deluge, every toilet flush would then be a torrent surpassing 6000 litres a day.

This scenario isn’t just unrealistic, it’s physically impossible – especially with the frequent water interruptions. The absurdity of this inflated charge is painfully clear.

Hidden Costs: Looming Infrastructure Crisis

A Klisserville resident warns of a hidden cost to these inflated bills, far beyond the immediate financial burden on residents. “The air destroys the water meters …[and] the city distribution pipes wear and corrosion also increase significantly due to the air and the accelerated water-air velocities when the water is opened post the interruptions…”

This highlights a dangerous cycle: the current crisis, while seemingly increasing revenue for the municipality, may actually be sowing the seeds of future, potentially catastrophic, infrastructure failure. The cost of replacing damaged meters and repairing a crumbling pipe network could dwarf the income gained from these inflated bills.

Residents refuse to be silenced, and their outrage is growing. Questions linger: are these bills simply errors, or something more concerning? Is long-term damage to the infrastructure, as one resident warns, the hidden cost the city will bear? For many, the issue runs deeper: “It’s time to move. Kimberley is sick,” someone declares.

Demands are mounting:

• Thorough Air Investigation: Residents want the impact of air on meter readings addressed, not ignored.
• Accountability: Calls for the municipality to be held accountable are growing. Some suggest provincial government intervention: “We need to call on the Provincial government to put the municipality under administration.”
• Resident Solidarity: There’s support for collective action against unfair practices.

The refusal to accept these inflated charges is clear: “I refuse to pay for air,” one resident proclaims.

The pensioner’s case might be the most extreme, but it represents a broader breakdown of a community’s trust in the ability of the Sol Plaatje Municipality to provide a basic essential service.