Baise’s neighbour Kevin McGivern said he had seen water trucks come to be filled at least twice since the Blue Scorpions’ directive had been issued.
But Water Affairs and Sanitation said they know about Baise’s"release of water" and he was complying with their instructions.Asked to comment, Water and Sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau forwarded an e-mail to News24 from DWS law enforcement staff that said when they had met Baise on his property in April, he had told them that there was still mountain water stored in the tanks.
McGivern said he and Baise were allowed to draw water from the mountain stream behind their Rhodes Drive, Constantia properties through"a half inch pipe" for household use only. When Baise spoke to News24 on Tuesday, he said he did not know how much water was left in the tanks, but said it was about 12 000 to 14 000 litres.Asked how long it would take for all the tanks to be emptied and removed, Baise said he did not know.The local community had been up in arms about Baise selling the water from the mountain stream, particularly in 2018 at the height of the drought when tough water restrictions were in force.