Residents of Robertsham are suffering with these water cuts Photo Pexels
Johannesburg – The torment continues for the residents of Robertsham and neighbouring areas as they endure an unrelenting water crisis that has persisted for over a week. This dire predicament has become an all too familiar nightmare since last September. The water shortages have not only driven the residents to the brink of despair but have ruthlessly gnawed away at their quality of life, and in some cruel twists of fate, have plunged their very livelihoods into jeopardy.
The lack of access to water has become a frustratingly common occurrence, often happening without any warning. Johannesburg Water and Rand Water are the two entities responsible for water provision in these areas. Despite the hollow assurances that have fallen like raindrops from local authorities and utility providers, the situation remains in the throes of catastrophe, leaving the residents ensnared in a mire of hopelessness.
Life with no water
Residents find themselves in an increasingly dire situation. Beyond the everyday challenges of bathing, cooking, and maintaining hygiene in their homes, the absence of water is now significantly affecting the livelihoods of the community. To illustrate the impact on individuals, Zaiboonisa Ebrahim expressed her deep frustration and anger, shedding light on how her income and financial stability are being severely compromised by these persistent water shortages.
“I run a home based business. I live on it. I can’t provide the service that I do because of what the water situation is. We don’t have extra money to put boreholes. We don’t have money to buy JoJo [tanks]. So what should we do? Sit and rot away? Our kids cannot have baths in the morning. How sad is that. We’ve had three incidents so far where we’ve been without water for almost three weeks at a time. I find this so ridiculous because we’re not even given answers by the counsellors and we always get different angles, different stories. Nothing has been done. We have been treated inhumanely.”
For those living with a disability like Saajid Ajmals, the water crisis poses even greater challenges. He has to rely on others further highlighting the urgency of the situation.
“I have to ask people in the community to help. My wife has to jump in a car all by herself and get the water. I also have a sickly mum who lives with me. She’s an elderly, sick lady. Hygiene is an issue. Luckily we have people in the area that have boreholes so they’ve offered their assistance to us so we just go. People in the community also drop off water for me but I can’t be depend on them all the time.”
Authorities playing the blame game
One of the most frustrating aspects of this crisis is the ongoing blame game between Johannesburg Water and Rand Water. Although it seems that both parties are aware of the problem at hand, Rand Water appears to show little concern in actively addressing and resolving the issue, said Nawaaz Ally, resident of Robertsham. What has worsened the situation is the lack of access to water tankers.
“This has been going on for a while. Rand Water has been water rationing us. We’ve been trying to get the matter resolved. We’ve been trying to get Rand Water to take action and fix the issues that they’ve identified but they don’t seem to be doing this. Within our community we’ve got a lot of elderly people, we’ve got children, we’ve got an old age home as well. These people are suffering. These people who don’t have the ability to go out to get water from residents who are kind enough to share their borehole water with us. It’s a struggle. We don’t have the liberty this time of water tankers being sent to the area. We don’t have water tankers going around that’s helping us like last time.”
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Unfulfilled promises to Robertsham residents
Back in July, Mayoral committee member Jack Sekwaila, Council Speaker Colleen Makhubele and several councillors had a meeting making various promises to the residents of Robertsham. However, these promises have failed to materialise. Meetings have been held, assurances given, but no concrete actions have been taken to alleviate the suffering of the community. The lack of communication and support from both Johannesburg Water and Rainwater has compounded the frustration and helplessness felt by residents.
“The residents are all up in arms. The residents want to take this issue up directly with Johannesburg Water. Whenever we reach out to the councillors they aren’t giving us any feedback. The counsellors are just pushing us to the back seat. Unfortunately, the only feedback we are getting from the counsellors is the generic responses that we are getting from Johannesburg Water which doesn’t count. The residents don’t have any information. They’re giving us generic responses which are not what the community needs, especially taking into consideration that this is not the first or the second or the third [time of having water issues]. Since we’ve had the installation of the new tower, this has become an ongoing problem in our area.”
According to Stuart Marais, councillor of Ward 54, the councillors are being left in the dark when it comes to this matter. No information is being provided to them by Rand Water or Johannesburg Water which does nothing to help the situation.
“Even if it’s copy and paste. At very best, give us the information that talks to these [water] towers. If you don’t want us to make the levels public, just give us the information and we’ll put it out in such a way that people understand. If this tower has only got 1.2 metres of water, I will say it’s critically low or it’s very low. Use water sparingly.”
In response to the mounting pressure, Ward 55 councillor Rashieda Landis, urged residents to be patient and understanding. She emphasised that they are actively working to obtain honest answers and improve communication with the community.
“Residents of Ward 55 and Johannesburg. I humbly, humbly request and ask for your patience with the Ward councillors. We are fighting, we are trying our level best to get honest answers for you people. Honest, constructive communication. I cannot promise anything because if I don’t get the truth, if I don’t get honest answers, I cannot relate to you honestly. So please bear with us. We are fighting for you.”
Getting support from the community and surrounding areas
Rather than receiving assistance or relief from the municipality or Rand Water, neighbouring areas like Roshnee have stepped up to support the residents of Robertsham. They have generously opened their doors and shared their water supply to ensure that Robertsham residents have access to clean drinking water. However, most of the other communities around Robertsham are also suffering.
“The communities around us are also suffering as well. Crown Gardens Reservoir is a key reservoir that helps supply water to a lot of other places. The water that flows from Johannesburg Water has to go through Crown Gardens to get to a few other areas. Within our area we have a lot of kind-hearted, large-hearted people that open their homes to us. They tell us to come and collect clean drinking water. They’re allowing us to collect as much as we need. Distribute as much water as we need and these types of residents, within the area, are the only assistance that we’ve got right now. There’s no support from the city at all. We have been putting out a plea to the city and the council but nobody seems to be hearing us.”
Although the support from Roshnee and compassionate community members is undoubtedly appreciated, its scope is limited. The community finds itself in an increasingly dire predicament, and their reliance on such help underscores the pressing need for immediate intervention by responsible authorities to address the root causes of the persistent water shortages.
The enduring water crisis has plunged residents into an unending nightmare. Johannesburg Water and Rand Water, entrusted with the vital task of water provision, have instead engaged in a troubling blame game, while the promises made by local authorities and utility providers remain unfulfilled. The time has come for these responsible entities to be held accountable for their actions and inactions, and for immediate measures to be taken to resolve this crisis, granting the affected communities the basic human right of access to clean, uninterrupted water.
