“Smell Me! I Haven’t Had Water for 24 Days” Protester Tells Joburg Mayor

Pensioner Susan Jobson blocked a lane in Melville on Wednesday during a protest against the ongoing water outages in suburbs across Johannesburg.

Joburg residents affected by ongoing water outages took to the streets on Wednesday morning to show their frustration.

In Melville, about 150 residents from various neighbourhoods demonstrated by carrying empty plastic bottles and banners, demanding water and accountability from officials.

Westdene resident Marcé Heath said life without water for extended periods of time was unacceptable.

Residents on Jan Smuts Avenue say that their constitutional right to water is being violated.

She said frequent and clear communication was needed from officials.

“Joburg Water needs to not only solve this problem but also engage with residents because we never know when the water will come back on.”

“We are living in limbo,” said Heath.

Protesters kept one lane open to allow vehicles to pass. Many motorists hooted to show support to the protest.

Near busy Jan Smuts Avenue in Parktown, another group gathered, banging empty bottles with some people chanting: “We want water.”

Some residents found creative ways of participating in the protest on Wednesday.

A couple of hours later, officials including Mayor Dada Morero and Johannesburg Water managing director Ntshavheni Mukwevho, held a media briefing at the construction site of the Brixton reservoir.

At the briefing, Brixton resident Mauritz Preller confronted the mayor about the lack of water in his neighbourhood. “Smell me. I haven’t washed in days,” he said, while gesturing for Morero to smell his armpit.

Preller accused the mayor of hosting a “photo opportunity” while neglecting the immediate needs of residents.

In response, Morero said local and national government departments have been called in to help solve the water crises. He blamed high water demand and infrastructure challenges.

Video: Ihsaan Haffejee

Brixton resident Mauritz Preller confronted Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero about the ongoing lack of water in his neighbourhood.

But residents say the situation worsened over the past week, because workers at Johannesburg Water had stopped working due to labour disputes apparently over the payment of bonuses.

Morero confirmed that all striking workers returned to work on Wednesday. He said discussions are still underway to find a long-term solution.

Johannesburg Water’s Mukwevho admitted that the system supplying the affected areas is under strain. He said the new Brixton reservoir and tower is in the testing phase. This will help alleviate pressure on the system, he said.

Parktown resident Mary Metcalfe placed an empty water bucket over her head during a protest.

Nico Singh, a senior manager at Johannesburg Water, said faults at the Hurst Hill 2 Reservoir, which services areas like Melville, Westdene and Brixton, are yet to be identified.

“We haven’t found the absolute root cause of the issue. But we are on track to finding it. In the interim, we will ensure that we provide alternative water,” said Singh.

The Brixton reservoir was meany to be completed last year. Construction is still ongoing, but officials say the testing phase has begun.

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