Cape Town - Alert security staff caught water wasters who were allegedly operating an illegal car wash in Montague Gardens over the weekend.
The two men were fined R3 000 each for using municipal water to wash cars amid the ongoing drought in the Western Cape.
Shortly after 8am on Saturday, Alden Pollard of Star Rapid Response and Michael Scholtz of the Marconi Beam Montague Gardens Improvement District, spotted the two men offloading a container on the corner of Kosher Road and Montague Drive.
They noticed that there was another container filled with water and called Law Enforcement.
An inspector came out and issued a compliance notice for setting up an illegal car wash and the men were instructed to pack up and go home.
The men were told that under Level 6B water restrictions, nobody was allowed to operate car washes.
Unfortunately the water wasters didn't listen and after the officers left, their truck returned with a generator and pipes and proceeded to spray down their vehicle.
Pollard and Scholtz reported the operators again and Law Enforcement officers immediately took action.
Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, says the two men aged 30 and 34 were issued fines totalling R6 000.
ISSUED: Security informed on the Montague Gardens pair
He says they were offering car washes for between R50 and R100 and could not provide proof of where they sourced the water.
“They informed the officers they were getting the water from a borehole from a farmer in the West Coast area. They were fined for washing vehicles using municipal water,” says Dyason.
“They could produce no evidence as to the source of the water and all indications are that it is municipal water.
He says the problem of water theft is widespread.
“Every day we get reports of water being extracted from rivers and vleis or rivulets and streams being diverted to private properties. Fire hydrants are also used to steal water,” says Dyason.
Last week, Law Enforcement officers and officials from the City’s Water and Sanitation Department also issued fines to culprits
failing to comply with Level 6B restrictions.
“Fines to the value of R4 000 each were handed out to those who are unwilling to comply. Hose pipes and buckets were also confiscated,” Dyason said.
“In the Noordhoek area, officers came across a spring where the water had been diverted to fill a 2 500 litre container. This is apparently sold for between R1 600 and R2 500. The case will be handed over to the Provincial Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Directorate for further investigation.”
Under Level 6B restrictions, each person is only allowed 50 litres of water per day.
monique.duval@inl.co.za