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By Palesa Matlala
- Hammanskraal’s water crisis began in 2004 when contaminated and unreliable water supply started affecting residents in the Pretoria North area.
- Hammanskraal resident Melusi Sibeko survived a diarrhoea outbreak that killed 20 people and now spends his salary on bottled water.
Hammanskraal residents have been without clean, safe and reliable water since 2004. The Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant contaminated the Apies River, which affected the Temba Water Treatment Plant. The crisis led to a cholera outbreak in 2023.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi called on the national government to assist so that “the people of Hammanskraal can have their dignity restored.” Lesufi apologised for remarks he made about “not having water and showering at a hotel.” But residents remain angry and frustrated.
Melusi Sibeko, a Hammanskraal resident who spoke to Scrolla.Africa, survived a diarrhoea outbreak that killed 20 people and left 48 typhoid fever cases. He said he hoped Lesufi would address the number of lives lost in the area.
“Instead, he is only promising. I am not sure what the Government of Provincial Unity is saying about the people of Hammanskraal,” Sibeko said.
He said the premier and the national government had promised to address the community about the water crisis. “Yet, we are still suffering even now,” he said.
To cope, Sibeko buys 40 litres of water in five-litre bottles to drink and cook. He boils tap water to bathe, but is unsure if that is safe.
“Imagine buying so much water like milk or juice. This is a basic need that I should be getting for free. My salary goes towards water,” he said.
DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga criticised Lesufi’s promises, saying he is “yet again, offering the same old promises that we have heard before.” He described service delivery in the province as “currently on life support”, citing community protests for water and electricity.
Despite promises to fix water infrastructure in Tshwane, some parts of the city still have no water.
Pictured above: Hammanskraal residents affected by the ongoing water crisis.
Image source: DA
