- Residents in at least six west Joburg areas are furious as water cuts drag on and Mayor Dada Morero’s promised tankers fail to show up.
- Protests turned violent on Wednesday as police fired rubber bullets, injuring residents and arresting eight people in Coronationville.
Newclare residents say they have been left high and dry after Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero promised water tankers — and none arrived.
The mayor told the community that 15 tankers would be sent while the taps remain dry, but on Thursday morning residents queued from 8am and waited in vain.
While some residents in Westbury and Coronationville were lucky to get water, some are still waiting.
Samantha Jankies said: “I woke up at 6am and got to the water point at 7:13am. Yesterday we waited all day, and only at 6pm were we told the trucks weren’t coming because the water was finished.”
The ongoing water crisis has affected several communities in western Johannesburg, including Westbury, Coronationville, Newclare, Westdene and Sophiatown.
On Wednesday, residents blocked roads with burning tyres, rocks and rubbish. The protest turned violent when police opened fire with rubber bullets, injuring several people and arresting eight.
Morero was expected to address the crowd that day but cancelled. He later met with residents in Newlands and Coronationville, promising the tankers and saying water would be restored in seven days.
But the lack of delivery has only added to people’s anger.
Sophiatown community leader Clifford Manroue said they have not received a drop and will now have to queue in neighbouring suburbs.
“Morero said water tankers would come to all affected areas. But it seems only one area is getting help,” he said.
He called on South Africans to “do the right thing and vote the African National Congress out of power”.
Manroue said the eight-year water crisis has destroyed lives and livelihoods.
“Teaching and learning is disrupted. Clinics rely on JoJo tanks. Businesses are closing. Crime is rising — and all of it is happening in coloured communities,” he said.
Residents say they feel abandoned and humiliated by a government that has failed to provide a basic human right.
Pictured above: Coronationville residents collecting water
Photo supplied: Supplied
