Joburg Water Plan Fails to Provide Immediate Relief

Dear Editor

After yesterday’s protest for water in Johannesburg, and a memorandum handover by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg, to the City of Johanneburg’s Executive Mayor – an almost immediate response from the City shows how under-pressure the ANC/EFF/ActionSA coalition is on this matter.

But the response, issued today, is completely inadequate and is smoke and mirrors. The plan includes taking action only in February 2025, leaving the City of Johannesburg the hottest months of the year with no short-term intervention, no plan to address serious leaks, and no disaster management plan.

The City’s water plan is a long-term plan, with no short-term relief for struggling residents, businesses, and water users across the City whose taps run dry or run intermittently.

The fact that 22 reservoirs in the City have leaks is a serious concern, and shows how badly infrastructure collapse has been allowed under the ANC/EFF/ActionSA coalition.

It is more concerning that it took so long for these leaks to be detected, and most concerning that there is not a clear short-term plan of action to repair them.

The people of Johannesburg are now expected to wait until February 2025 before action is taken. This, as we enter some of the warmest months of the year.

There is no clear plan, nor schedule for water tankers that are supposed to service hundreds of thousands of people in areas like:

• Coronationville;
• Newclare;
• Melville; and
• Auckland Park

Joburg Water’s plan, as they pointed out, includes the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and CityPower without any clear indication of the actual work that they will be doing.

We fear that the residents of Johannesburg have yet again had to endure another talk shop, with no actual changes.

In line with the DA concerns raised with the Executive Mayor, we call on Joburg Water to outline, in detail, the integrated response to the water crisis.

Joburg does not need grand long-term plans, but immediate relief, and an immediate plan to keep water flowing. Today we got a long term vision, but nothing to address the water crisis we face today.

The DA will continue to hold all of these entities to account and reiterate our call for Joburg Water’s board to be dissolved.

Regards

Cllr Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku
DA Johannesburg Caucus Leader