Experts say a leak this size on her property is unlikely, while the City insists on a 50% payment before engaging in dispute resolution.

Jenny-Lee Bot rents out a house in Dainfern, Johannesburg. The income from the property is needed to support her family. In 2023, she got the shock of her life when she received her utility bill: water charges had increased from R1,334 due end of July to R454,192 due end of August.

This astronomical charge was based on a recorded consumption of nearly 6,000 kilolitres, a volume a professional plumber notes is "nearly impossible" for a residential unit in a single month. The huge charges continued for months. Bot's water bill now exceeds R2.9-million.

In Gauteng, water consumption averages 279 litres per person per day. For a family of four, this is about 34kl per month.

Although a minor repair to a small pipe connector leak was carried out in February 2024, the extreme readings persisted, fluctuating between 1,420kl and 5,965kl, averaging a quarter of a million rand monthly.

Then, the readings returned to normal without any major intervention. From June 2024 consumption dropped to normal use: between 10kl and 35kl per month.

The City of Johannesburg has maintained that the high consumption was due to an "internal leak", placing the financial burden squarely on Bot. Johannesburg Water, in a...