Lenasia Residents March for Water

Hundreds of Phumla Mqashi informal settlement residents protested outside Johannesburg Water’s offices in Ennerdale on Friday. They want taps to be installed at each household.

About 200 people from Phumla Mqashi informal settlement near Lenasia took to the streets for the second time in less than two months to demand a permanent solution to their water troubles. They want taps to be installed at each household.

Phumla Mqashi is home to about 17,000 people, according to Johannesburg Water. The community has water tanks which are filled by water trucks, but residents have been complaining that there is not enough water for every household.

On 2 December, hundreds of people marched to the civic centre. While the protesters were in the city centre, Joburg Water delivered more water tanks to the settlement.

But residents say that out of 53 rain water tanks, only eight are filled regularly, which is not enough to accommodate every household.

Leading the march to Joburg Water’s offices in Ennerdale on Friday morning, community leader Alfred Mcunywa said they are demanding that Joburg Water reconnect their water.

“We feel very strongly that the government has violated our rights as stipulated in the Constitution of the country,” he said.

“We just want the government to extend infrastructure so we can connect the community’s taps that were here when we occupied the area,” he said.

In November officials disconnected scores of illegal water connections from the settlement, sparking several protests.

Mcunywa said they now want the mayor and premier to intervene. He said they are battling to raise enough funds to take Joburg Water to court over the matter.

“We are tired of waking up without water … We may end up with cholera disease because of getting water from these Jojo tanks.”

Dan Bovu from the premier’s office promised to respond to the group’s memo in seven days.

In a statement responding to the community in December, Joburg Water said previous infrastructure provided to the community had led to the mushrooming of illegal connections.

This resulted in the Lenasia reservoir reaching “critically low levels” which impacted a large number of ratepayers in neighbouring areas downstream, stated Joburg Water.

“Therefore, to normalise the system and stop such illegal practices, Joburg Water had to enforce the bylaws and disconnect these illegal connections. To date, 53 stationary water tanks are deployed with filling of the tanks at least once a day.”

Joburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said they would respond to media queries after reviewing the community’s latest demands.

Angry residents of Phumla Mqashi informal settlement demanded that  taps be installed in each of their yards.

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