Constantia residents have reported a local man, Paul Baise, for selling mountain water despite a directive that was issued to him by the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) Blue Scorpions in April, when he was first found to be selling the water.
As reported by News24, Baise’s neighbour has seen water trucks filling up at his home twice since the Blue Scorpions delivered the directive.
“There may be more, I am not monitoring it. It was just coincidental that I saw the trucks,” the neighbour said.
DWS spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said that DWS law enforcement staff had met with Baise in April, and he had informed them he still had mountain water stored in the tanks.
“We told him that he should release it to the owner of the tanks as the owner needed the tanks back empty. Mr Baise has been complying with our instructions to release the water to the tanks’ owner….We are still going to follow up because this process should be coming to an end,” the DWS statement said.
According to Baise, the three tanks hold a total of 16 500 litres altogether.
The Blue Scorpions shut down Baise’s water-selling operation in April, and majority of the water was being sold to a company that fills swimming pools.
Selling water without a license is in direct contravention of the Water Act.
On April 24, advocate Abraar Mowzer from the DWS asked Baise how the process of emptying the tanks was coming along. Baise replied that only 2 000 litres had been taken off, so there were “about 14 000 litres left”.
He said the trucks were fetching water “very erratically and in small amounts as winter is coming”. The water tanks should be emptied “within a few weeks”.
Picture: Pixabay
