The news of a 40-hour water shutdown scheduled from 11 to 13 July next week has not been well received by residents in Johannesburg. It comes as an unwelcome change just when things appeared to be returning to normal after weeks of enduring prolonged periods with little to no water in various areas of the city.
One area severely affected by the ongoing water crisis is Robertsham, a suburban area located to the South of the city. The residents there have faced significant challenges, as expressed by Hajira Kotwal, a resident of Robertsham, in an interview with Salaamedia.
Kotwal mentioned the community has already endured almost a month without water, and more recently, they had to go without water for 14 days. Considering the upcoming planned water shutdown at the Eikenhof pump station, she anticipates the worst.
“With the 40-hour switch off, I don’t know how long we’re going to be out of water again. By saying shut off, we actually take longer to come back on.”
Preparation for the Water Shutdown
As per reports, Johannesburg Water has advised customers to take precautionary measures in anticipation of the upcoming water shutdown. The shutdown is necessary for Rand Water to install isolation valves and improve the existing systems at the Eikenhof pump station.
Due to the persistent water and electricity crisis, citizens have been compelled to explore expensive alternatives like boreholes and alternative power sources. While this may be a viable option for a few, only some enjoy the same privilege.
Nevertheless, in readiness for the scheduled shutdown next week, Kotwal stated the residents of Robertsham are demonstrating their solidarity by collectively stockpiling as much water as they can to support one another.
“We have been taking some precautions by filling up containers. We actually went to the extent of thinking about a borehole as well. We have offered water to our residents, our neighbours and things like that. We try to assist them as well, but it has been a hair-pulling situation.”
SMread| Call for accountability: Blue light brigade assault sparks outrage
No Light at the End of the Tunnel
According to Kotwal, the residents of Robertsham have approached the city council multiple times seeking answers to the ongoing issue. However, each time they are disappointed, they either receive no solutions or experience a temporary resumption of water supply followed by another disruption.
Furthermore, she conveyed a mistrust towards Johannesburg Water, expressing concern that the scheduled 40-hour water shutdown might last much longer than anticipated.
“They can’t give us answers. Every time we go to the city of Johannesburg’s offices to go and fight and only then they decide to give us water again. It comes back to, and then sometimes we have a couple of days with no water coming out at all. When it does come out, it’s an air bubble, which we need to pay for. They can’t give us answers, and we need the situation to be rectified, but they keep passing it on to somebody else.”
SMread| Defend Our Democracy’s webinar aims to analyse delays in acting upon Zondo Commission’s recommendations
Meeting Between Community Members and City Officials
In the past, community members of the south had arranged meetings with the Mayor of Johannesburg, officials from Rand Water and relevant stakeholders to address the recurring water outages. However, on the scheduled day of the meeting, both the Mayor and the officials failed to attend, as Ward 55 Councillor Rashida Landis stated.
“This morning when we arrived here, the mayor was a no-show, Rand Water was a no-show, and they are critical stakeholders to all the problems we’re having here in Johannesburg as far as our water’s concerned.”
According to reports, during the meeting, Chief Whip of the City of Johannesburg Sithembiso Zungu, who was present, apologised on behalf of the Mayor. Although Rand Water representatives were absent, representatives from Johannesburg Water were in attendance.
Ward 54 Councillor Stuart Marais expressed positivity about the presence of Johannesburg Water representatives, stating they offered reliable responses and proposed sustainable solutions to the issue.
“He [Johannesburg Water GM] came up with a lot of answers, I found them to be very knowledgeable. He gave us answers that we could work with. We asked them for solutions and they have given us solutions. In the long term it should be up and running by the end of July or August. The capacity from Rand Water would then be improved.”
