Johannesburg - Angry residents of Tsakane in Ekurhuleni took to the streets to protest against the lack of water for two months.
Locals say their rights have been violated. As the problem persists, Rand Water and Johannesburg Water have issued a warning that Level 1 water restrictions for Gauteng are in place.
The water utilities urged people to use water sparingly even as hundreds of Tsakane residents barricaded Nzima Street where a municipal customer care centre is located, and other roads, with burning tyres, debris, and rocks, making it difficult for anyone to drive in or out of the area.
Nomthandazo Ngozo said they had strived for a peaceful protest against the lack of water in their area.
“On Friday, the councillor and community leaders told us that water would be restored on Saturday or Sunday, but that has not happened. We said if either is not restored, we are going to continue to protest.
“It has been two months, and young and old people have been collecting water in a dirty river nearby where there is faeces. We don’t want to do that; it is our basic right to have water,” said Ngozo.
She said residents demanded that the mayor come and address them.
Ngozo reminded politicians of the 2024 elections and that the majority of protesters were youth.
She said the march was peaceful – they did not have intentions to damage infrastructure – yet some public order police had fired rubber bullets at crowds of protesters, leading to some residents being shot.
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) spokesperson Constable Ignatius Maphike confirmed that rubber bullets had been used to disperse the crowd.
“The residents have been served with water tankers. All roads in Tsakane have been closed with burning tyres and rocks; motorists are advised to use alternative routes. The EMPD and other law enforcement agencies are on the ground monitoring the situation,” said Maphike.
The City of Ekurhuleni said it was monitoring the reservoirs that were affected by an insufficient water supply from Rand Water’s Mapleton pump station. The reservoirs supplying Brakpan, Etwatwa and Tsakani remained affected.
“The city will continue to provide roving water tankers to the affected areas until the situation normalises,” said City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
The municipality said it was in constant communication with residents, and attributed the problem to Rand Water.
In a joint statement, Rand Water and Johannesburg Water urged consumers and citizens to use water sparingly as demand exceeded supply.
“Rand Water and Johannesburg Water are noticing increasing water consumption from customer metres that are in the system. This increase is putting strain on the system, and consumers and citizens can help by reducing their water consumption.
“Rand Water’s primary and secondary stations are operating at their maximum capacity, however, the entity is unable to maintain its reservoirs at high water levels because of high consumption by consumers and citizens in the metro and surrounding areas.
“As a result, reservoir levels remain at their lowest due to high consumption by consumers,” said Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo.
The water entities said that due to the system being integrated, even customers who were using water sparingly were being affected.
“High potable water consumption may result in the collapse of the system, which will result in intermittent water supply.
“South Africa is a water-scarce country, therefore consumer behaviour is important in ensuring sustainable and equitable water supply,” said Maroo.
“Rand Water and Johannesburg Water urged customers, consumers, and all citizens to conserve water, including by implementing water-saving tips such as: avoid watering lawns and gardens with clean drinking water; refrain from filling up swimming pools until consumption has reduced; do not clean paved areas and driveways with clean drinking water; fix all leaking plumbing features in your houses; flush toilets only for the brown and not the yellow; and report leaking water pipes to respective local municipalities,” he added.
The Star