Brisk water business

COSTLY: SCARCE RESOURCE SELLING FOR 10 TIMES MORE THAN IN TOWN

- Abigail van der Hoven

Enterprising residents seize opportunity to make quick buck.

In a community starved of the basic right to water, enterprising residents in Hammanskraal have taken to selling the scarce resource for as much as 12 times more than what it costs in town.

Failure to maintain the Rooiwal waste water treatment works has left residents with dirty or no water for longer than 15 years.

Public protector Kholeka Gcaleka last year found the City of Tshwane had failed to provide "clean water suitable for human consumption" in the area.

Sewage spills into the Apies River, which feeds into the Leeuwkraal Dam, forced residents to purchase their own water.

The city has provided water tankers. However, there have been complaints that this service is inconsistent.