Bonteheuwel residents went bos at a water meeting, accusing the City of Cape Town and their DA councillor, Angus McKenzie, of lying to them.
The meeting, which was called by McKenzie, got off to a late start on Sunday afternoon, but was brought to a grinding halt when residents called for an official to “hou his bek” and let them speak.
Abduragmaan Jacobs of the Bonteheuwel Residents and Tenants Association (Brata) told the Daily Voice before the meeting that many residents were gatvol of the faulty blue water meters which have been giving mense grief for months.
He says just like other areas, Bonteheuwel residents were upset about the contractors who just show up at people’s homes and install the meters without their knowledge.
The City has been installing the water management devices at homes where water consumption is very high, and homeowners are slapped with a R4000 bill for the installation.
“They say it is for people who are on high consumption, but they don’t talk to people,” Jacobs says.
“People are complaining about the devices cutting off their water and we have heard it is not SABS approved, so we came here today to hear from the councillor what is going on. We know that in other areas the people are chasing them [contractors] away.”
In his address, McKenzie claimed that the meters were SABS approved and mentioned the call by the DA Caucus last week for the two tenders awarded to Aqualoc and Sakikhaya to be investigated, following flood of complaints from residents.
City official, Donavan Williams, tried to educate residents on the water crisis, but some residents said they were not interested.
“We’ve heard enough from you guys now! Let the people talk! You guys don’t know how to organise a meeting. Look how little people from Bonteheuwel are here (sic),” a man shouted.
Sulyman Stellenboom of the Tafelsig Activists Forum (TAF) launched a scathing attack on McKenzie and the City, calling Day Zero a hoax.
“There is no Day Zero. Water for all and the City must fall. You people are a failure, now you want to cancel the meeting. You can call the Law Enforcement for us, you guys are * *****s,” he shouted.
McKenzie says he arranged the meeting for residents who wanted to know more about issues around the meters.
“I closed the meeting because of the verbal assaults and how the people told the official to ‘hou his bek’. I am very disappointed and did not expect that,” he says.
“There were people who wanted to listen.”