Protesters Demanding Water Shot at With Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas

Johannesburg civil society organisations stand with the residents of Coronationville, Westbury, Westdene, Martindale and Sophiatown who took to the streets on Wednesday to demand what should never be denied – clean, reliable water.

Burning tyres and clouds of tear gas filled Coronationville as roads were barricaded and traffic came to a standstill. Instead of solutions, residents were met with rubber bullets and heavy police presence, even as they marched for their most basic right.

Earlier in the week, communities in Ivory Park and Ebony Park in Midrand staged similar protests.

And this is not just a Gauteng phenomenon, but one that plays out countrywide on a regular basis.

After years of inconsistent supply, residents have been forced to fill buckets in the few hours when taps briefly run or to buy bottled water at great personal cost. Children have had to miss school because there is no water to wash or drink, while businesses and daily life have ground to a halt.

We condemn any acts of looting reported during these protests. Such actions are often the work of opportunists who exploit vulnerable situations, and they must not be allowed to overshadow or diminish the legitimate voices of communities calling for water justice.

Johannesburg residents are tired of excuses, finger-pointing, and silence from leadership.

The Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, must urgently account to the people of this city:

• The funding crisis at Johannesburg Water has crippled the system. What impact has this had, and has the mayor engaged Johannesburg Water directly?
• The blame game between Rand Water and Johannesburg Water The mayor must engage both, clarify the situation, and tell residents the truth.
• Johannesburg Water does not have enough water tanks to deal with widespread outages. What is being done to address this shortage?
• Why have communities not been engaged directly by leadership? Instead of dialogue, police are deployed, and residents are shot at.
• How is this acceptable?

Johannesburg cannot function without water. Families, schools, businesses and health facilities are being crippled by outages that have become the norm. The voices rising from Coronationville to Ivory Park are a warning: the people of this city will not remain silent while their most basic right is denied.