‘KILLING US SOFTLY’: Melville residents have gone without water for over 20% of 2026 so far
A protest on the streets of Melville on Friday, 14 August, was the latest outcry in response to a water crisis that residents say has become routine.
Residents of Melville, Johannesburg, have been without water for more than 20% of 2026 up to this point in the year, according to the Melville Residents Association. A protest in the streets of Melville on August 14th was the latest in a series of outcries over the ongoing water crisis, which has become routine for many residents.
Outages have lasted anywhere from four days to over a week, with some residents reporting that the problem is more than just occasional service interruptions. The Melville Residents Association stated that this is a chronic and unacceptable failure of basic service delivery. Water trucks intended to help are often late or unavailable.
The Commando water system in Melville was operating at just 45% capacity, the lowest among systems shown in the City's latest update, placing it in the "Supplying Fairly" category. The city's water losses have been significant, with Johannesburg losing 207 billion liters of water in the 2025 financial year and spending R650 million on water tankers over the past five years.
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