NO WATER: ‘Are we not important enough?’ — Joburg residents protest water cuts before elections
Across Joburg, water distribution networks remain critically strained under the weight of decaying infrastructure, bulk restrictions from Rand Water, and chronic municipal management failures, causing residents in Kensington, Parktown, Melville, and Lenasia to take to the streets.
Across Johannesburg, residents of Kensington, Parktown, Melville, and Lenasia are taking to the streets in protest against critically strained water distribution networks. These areas suffer from decaying infrastructure, bulk restrictions from Rand Water, and municipal management failures.
66-year-old Neil Holland, a hairdresser, expressed his frustration over the impact on his business, stating that running a salon without water is "disastrous" as he needs it for washing and rinsing hair. He is particularly disturbed by streams of clean water running down the streets despite his tap being dry, caused by burst pipes that have been left unattended for days and weeks.
The Alexander Park Reservoir, which supplies 12 suburbs including Kensington, has remained on bypass for months due to postponed repairs, despite funds earmarked for its maintenance. This has left local grids running directly off incoming bulk mains, with no stored pressure to push water uphill into higher-lying streets.
Wilhelmina Martin, a resident of Dawnville with multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis, detailed how the lack of water severely impacts her ability to navigate her environment and perform daily tasks. Her husband, a 63-year-old full-time worker, has taken on most of the responsibilities for procuring water.
Wilhelmina pleaded, "Is this not part of our human rights? Are we not important enough? What do we have to do to deserve to get water?"
Protests have erupted across Johannesburg in response to persistent water outages and failing city infrastructure. In Parktown, over 50 residents gathered on Jan Smuts Avenue on Friday, 30 October, demanding restoration timelines and accountability. Sharol Stevens, a long-time resident, lamented that this is the worst crisis Parktown West has faced with water in its 120-year history.
No effective communication from Joburg Water has added to the residents' frustration. Stevens highlighted that a metre installed to measure water supply showed zero water during the outage period, yet no feedback was provided.
This week, a unified demonstration is planned for Monday, 2 November, at Joburg Water's headquarters in Newtown to demand immediate accountability, water relief, and urgent intervention for the city's crumbling water infrastructure.
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