Michael de Pinna: Come on Jozi Water: 32 hours and the flood continues

Yebo Gogo’s got a leak and it seems no one is doing anything about it. Michael de Pinna, the man who made leopard print fashionable as the lead for Vodacom’s marketing campaign a few years back, is having another aikona gogo moment. Given the supposed water restrictions in the country, pre-flash floods of last week, it’s mind boggling that water leaks are not always a priority. And in this case the leak is more like a rushing river. The lack of urgency has turned the laughter into anger on de Pinna’s side and despite calls to the relevant authorities the water continues to run. One wonders if it’ll be fixed before water restrictions resume. – Stuart Lowman

From Michael de Pinna*

32 hours later and the water is still running, leaping into the air, cascading…down the road. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT.

The neighbours wall will surely collapse or be weakened where it is coming from which is OUTSIDE 112 Central Avenue, Atholl, 2196 Johannesburg. Gauteng South Africa. Slightly Sarcastic as no one can find this address.

Reported 11am Saturday 12^th March 2016.

Nothing from JHB Water.

Time now 20.30 Sunday March 13^th 2016.

This I placed on my Facebook page.

I have now rung four times but to no avail?

Now yesterday I nearly popped my clogs I was so angry.

I was driving out of my complex at 11am on Saturday morning and I saw millions of litres gushing from the middle of my neighbours wall. I realized that a mains pipe must have burst.

Being the concerned citizen I noted the address and promptly phoned the dreaded you know who Water department at City Power. After waiting on line on my mobile for over 20 minutes a voice came on and sounded asleep.

I then proceeded to explain and give all the right information.

I called my neighbour’s and they told me that they had reported it and that CSS had reported it and that the actual owner of the house whose wall had turned into Niagara Falls had also reported it.

I then drove to Alberton. I got back from Alberton at around 3PM. There was still water gushing. Thinking that what usually happens is that they wait until overtime kicks in before anyone comes as that means more pay. I left it.

I went out to a party around 06.30 – still water gushing gaily, and on my return around 10.30pm it was still gushing.

I immediately went inside and called again.

This time I was impolite and I said and I quote that it was a disgrace that this was happening in a country that had a water shortage. The woman told me not to shout at her and slammed down the phone on me. So me being me I rang back and got a gentlemen called George. Through gritted teeth I tried to remain calm, sweet, and gentle when I really wanted to drive a bulldozer over the Call Centre at City Power wherever it is.

Nobody cares, nobody works, nobody it seems wants to work and everybody wants it for nothing.

After staring at the bins piled up outside my house with the kind permission of Pikitup. I simply switched off, partook of a few stiff scotches to calm me down and like the rest of us I gave up and went to bed.

You could have filled a municipal pool with all the water that must have escaped and then some. The mind just boggles.

Now that I have vented I hope someone from City Power actually reads it but sadly I doubt that that will actually happen.

Let’s listen to some music that should do it!

• Michael de Pinna is a South African actor and entertainer. Click here to read the comments from his Facebook friends; read more about him on his website by clicking here.