Frustration in the Johannesburg suburb of Westbury has boiled over into protest action, with residents vowing to continue demonstrations until their demands for a reliable water supply are met. The community took to the streets this week, blockading roads with burning tyres in a dramatic response to water cuts that have persisted for over a week, severely disrupting daily life.
The protest highlights a deeper, long-standing issue that residents say has been ignored for years. The situation has crippled essential services and made day-to-day living a struggle, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable.
“I’m furious. I’m very furious,” said Mrs. Beukus, a resident of Coronation Road. “It’s 8 years that they promise and they don’t do anything… We are very angry because when the trucks come, we got to run after water. How are we supposed to carry those buckets as old people?”
Residents expressed deep-seated skepticism towards official explanations for the outages. “Every time there’s a strain and the water comes out, they tell us that the pumps are broken… How come there’s water every time?” one resident questioned, echoing a common sentiment that the water is being deliberately manipulated. “They are messing with our water. They are turning off our water every time.”
According to Johannesburg Water, the crisis stems from the severely strained Commando system, a critical part of the city’s water supply network provided by bulk supplier Rand Water. The system’s failure has affected several high-lying areas, including Westbury, Brixton, Crosby, and Hurst Hill, which continue to struggle with inconsistent or non-existent water supply.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Jack Sekwaila, outlined an urgent plan of action. Sekwaila stated that technical teams would work around the clock to address the pump failures at the core of the problem.
“They are going to work overnight from now,” Sekwaila said. The plan involves moving a pump from one reservoir to another to operate with two pumps simultaneously, with testing of the stabilized system expected by midnight tomorrow. Sekwaila cautioned that water pressure would need to be built “bit by bit” to ensure the system does not collapse again.
Sekwaila also admitted that the city is grappling with aging infrastructure, a fundamental challenge they are working to address. “The biggest investment that the city has made currently is in the commander system,” he stated, noting the upgrades are directed at affected areas like Crosby, Brixton, and Hurst Hill.
Despite these assurances, the promises of future upgrades and immediate technical fixes have done little to placate the residents of Westbury. For a community that has endured years of unreliable service, the protests are a last resort, and they have vowed to remain on the streets until they see a permanent solution and water consistently flowing from their taps.
