Following the start of a Level 1 Disconnections Drive on Monday, Johannesburg Water has disconnected 15 customers that collectively owe the utility more than R2.7-million.

The customers reside in gated communities and complexes in the south and north of Johannesburg, including suburbs such as Glenvista, Sunninghill and Buccleuch.

“This is part of our efforts towards revenue collection, which is crucial for the maintenance and upgrading of the City of Johannesburg's water and sewer infrastructure,” said Johannesburg Water metering and revenue senior manager Siphindile Ngange.

One customer owes over R333 000 on their account, while two others owe over R100 000 each.

Ngange further pointed to the challenges in embarking on disconnection drives, with Johannesburg Water’s disconnections teams often denied access to gated communities and complexes.

“For example, a property owner in Sunninghill did not want to give Johannesburg Water access into the estate yesterday. The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, who joined the operation to escort the entity on the drive, had to intervene for Johannesburg Water to gain access.”

The customers will have to either make full payments on their accounts or make payment arrangements with the City's Credit Management Department to have the water reconnected.