Write offs in this department alone over the last 5 years total over 3,3bln rand. Combining these with the current year (894m) and forecasted for the next 2 years (2.1bln), we arrive at a whopping 6,4bln rand.

How many dams does this amount to that could have been built? De-salination plants?

To try and boost water supplies, the city hoped that, between December 2017 and the March/April period in 2018, between 150 and 250 million litres would be at some production stage each day.

It was hoped this would increase to 300 million litres by May 2018.

“This will include land-and sea-based desalination, water reclamation and groundwater abstraction projects, if all goes according to plan,” said  Xanthea Limberg, mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services; and energy.

Initial related plans were meant to have been in operation in the second half of this year.

“But this has been adjusted to allow for a more resilience-based response and to include additional augmentation projects,” Limberg said.

Extra funding was needed to accommodate these plans.

“Our finance team is working on making funding sources available, including cash, reprioritisation of existing water projects, a concessionary loan from an external funder, and curtailing expenditure elsewhere in the administration,” Limberg  explained.

While the City will do everything in its power to curb expenditure across the administration to reduce the impact on future tariffs, we can expect tariff increases significantly above inflation in the 2018/2019 financial year.”

Yet no mention by Councillor Limberg of the ZAR894mln write off in this years budget – see attached page 140 from the City’s 2017/2018 budget?

Why does this not even get a mention? What are they trying to hide? Who are these people and why are they not named and shamed? Or is it too politically damaging?

All attempts at getting any information from our local resident Councillors East, Brunette and even our own “mini mayor” for Area South, Councillor Eddie Andrews, the people you voted in, have simply been ignored.