Bottled water is a luxury item. And not at all a sustainable practise. 

It reall boggles my mind that free-marketeers think that privatization is answer to all our ills. For some things it may work, but for water it cannot possibly work. Firstly, corporations are answerable to their shareholders alone. At least government is answerable to us. Secondly, how do you allow competitors into that market in an area like say Cape Town City bowl? You would have to license only one vendor, which then gives them a monopoly, which leaves us without the choice to change vendors if the service is poor. Thirdly, it's all about the profit, so big users will trump small users like me. Finally, water supply is not only about drinking water. Sewerage, stormwater, rivers, dams are all part of a complex system. 

No, it's a daft idea. We are better off forcing the authorities to do what they are supposed to do. Which means getting a little more involved.