I have just read the letter received from “Anonymous” regarding his problem with stop cocks. This is what happened to me about three years ago:
My gate bell rang early one morning and when I went out to see who was there I found out that it was Joburg Water. They told me that they were there to remove the water meter that was on my property and replace it with a new meter outside the property. I then told them to go ahead with the changeover.
They dug everything up and then they started to remove the house stop cock. I told them that they could not take away my stop cock. They became a bit aggressive and told me that they were instructed to remove all house stop cocks. I then asked them what happens if I need to replace a tap washer or worse still if my geyser bursts. They told me that the water meter outside had an on/ off dial but they also said that if the water needed be turned off I was to phone Joburg Water and they would send somebody to my house.
That person would turn the water off and then once the tap washer or geyser had been replaced they would turn the water on again. I could not believe what I was being told. I asked them if they were aware that a burst geyser could result in thousands of litres of water being lost and also that the house could be destroyed. All I got in return was a shrug of the shoulder and off they went with my stopcock.
I phoned Joburg Water and told them what had happened. They confirmed what I had been told, and they also told me that if I turned the water off at the meter I faced a fine of R800. I was also told that a by-law was being passed regarding this matter. Ever since I was told about a fine I have felt uneasy, so much so that I got a plumber to replace the stopcock with a valve that enabled me to turn the water off when necessary. Since my story is not so different from your reader’s, I am wondering if anybody really knows what is going on when it comes to Joburg Water.
In conclusion I have had the unfortunate experience of having a leak that could not be seen unless the whole area around the leak was opened. The result of this is that I am being hammered with large water bills. They go into the thousands of rands. It’s ironic that the leak (when found) was where Joburg Water’s flexible pipe connects to my metal pipe. Why a flexible pipe is used where the water pressure is high is another question that will never be answered.
