Image Source: News24
Local – Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero assured residents that the current water challenges gripping the city are being dealt with.
However, according to reports, residents from Westbury and neighbouring areas believe that the city’s efforts have not been enough to address their daily struggles without a consistent water supply.
Communities voiced frustration, especially after last week’s violent protests triggered by shortages in several suburbs. Morero was speaking during a media briefing at the Alexander Park Reservoir on Monday morning following the unrest.
The Mayor said the city was not ignoring the crisis and stressed that solutions were already in motion. He urged communities to remain calm as officials worked on both short- and long-term interventions.
“We are on top of this problem. We are going to find solutions to the water issue in Johannesburg,” the Mayor said.
Water Infrastructure Master Plan
The city will soon launch its water infrastructure master plan. The initiative will include refurbishments and pipe replacements to address leaks and modernise Johannesburg’s ageing systems.
Cooperation between the local and national governments will be central to the plan. The Minister of Water, Pemmy Majodina, has already committed to supporting Johannesburg in this programme.
“We have also agreed with the Minister of Water [Pemmy Majodina] that Johannesburg will have a programme on dealing with leaks and get support with provincial government. In that way, we will reduce our water losses quite significantly as we deal with pipe replacements,” he added.
Illegal Water Connections
Morero also raised concerns about illegal water connections, saying they were a significant factor behind the shortages. He warned that these practices disrupted supply and placed extra strain on the city’s fragile network.
Cut-offs had been carried out before, but a stronger and more consistent enforcement plan was needed. Law enforcement would now be directly involved in monitoring connections.
“Illegal connections have been a big problem in the City of Johannesburg. We try from time to time to cut off illegal connections and… to a large extent, the cut-offs do help us in maintaining the water supply,” he said.
The Mayor added that coordination with the Johannesburg Police Department would form part of the enforcement strategy going forward.
“What we have agreed on… with Johannesburg Water, we are going to have a meeting with the Johannesburg Police Department with an intention to get them to be consistent in the programme of cut-offs.”
“This will help us a lot in terms of [managing water demand, and it will also help us in terms of our bulk purchases. So, there’s a lot that it can help in reducing the current problems that we have with water,” Morero said.
Immediate Measures
Emergency steps have also been introduced to stabilise the situation. Residents in some of the hardest-hit areas have already started receiving relief through alternative supplies.
To support communities without water, the city has acquired 20 tankers, which will be deployed when needed. Morero said this was part of a wider balancing act to ensure struggling areas were not left without supply.
“They do have water. What we are doing is a balancing act. At night we close the water, and during the morning we open it. It’s an issue of demand,” he explained.
The Mayor urged residents to conserve water as part of a collective effort. Preserving supply, he said, was vital to keeping reservoirs sustainable across the city.
“We have to make a call to our communities to try as much as possible to preserve water… to use it sparingly. So that those areas that are battling to get those levels high, we can be able to provide and increase the levels in their water reservoirs,” Morero said.
