Frustrated residents of Westbury, Johannesburg, took to the streets to protest after enduring two weeks without a consistent water supply, a situation that brought years of simmering anger over failing services to a boiling point.
The protest saw major roads blocked with burning tyres and debris as the community demanded accountability and a permanent solution to the ongoing water crisis that has plagued their suburb.
The demonstration was a direct response to the persistent failures at the Hurst Hill 1 reservoir, which has left Westbury and the neighbouring community of Coronationville with erratic and often non-existent water supply for four years. For residents, the latest extended outage was the final straw.
“This government is frustrating us. We’ve kept quiet and adapted to this, but now we’ve had enough,” Westbury resident Aiya Alister told Sowetan Live. She explained that the community felt it had no other option but to “frustrate the system in return” to make their voices heard.
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Officials promise long-term fixes amid community anger
In response to the protest, officials from Johannesburg Water met with the community to outline planned interventions, asking for patience as they work on long-term infrastructure upgrades.
Engineer Randhir Nico Singh explained that several major projects were underway but would take months to complete. “The Crosby pump station is under construction and will only be ready in about three to four months,” Singh told the assembled residents.
He also provided timelines for other critical upgrades, including the Brixton Reservoir tower and the extensive repairs needed for the Hurst Hill reservoirs, with some projects expected to take up to nine months. Singh defended the lengthy timelines, stating, “You don’t go and patch. You’re going to end up with a problem three years down the line. You must do a proper repair.”
As a temporary measure to alleviate the immediate crisis that sparked the protest, Johannesburg Water conducted an overnight shutdown of the Crosby Pump Station to swap a pump, aiming to increase pressure to the Hursthill 1 Reservoir. This was described as one of several “tactical interventions” to stabilise the system.
For the residents of Westbury, these promises of future relief do little to address the immediate and profound disruption to their daily lives.
Image: Shutterstock
