Frustration is boiling over in Coronationville and the surrounding areas of Westbury as residents enter a fourth week without a reliable running water supply, leading to protests and accusations of injustice against local authorities.
The community, which held a series of protests and road blockades over the past two weeks, reports that a promised restoration of water lasted only a day and a half before the taps ran dry again. While water tankers have been dispatched to the area, residents say the situation is dire and is compromising their health and dignity.
Melissa, a community representative, expressed the collective exasperation. “We were promised that our water would be back… but that never happened,” she said. “We are back here after just having water for 1 and 1/2 days.”
The crisis has widened a perceived rift between established neighborhoods and the nearby Slovo Informal Settlement. Residents point out that while their taps are dry, Slovo has running water, which they claim is non-potable “grey water” being drawn from a fire hydrant.
“Why are they then giving Slovo informal settlement grey water? Are we saying that those people’s lives don’t matter?” Melissa asked, directing her questions to the utility provider, Joburg Water. “This is a fight against the injustice caused by the very same government that is supposed to serve us.”
She highlighted the plight of vulnerable community members, stating, “We have elderly people here… They can’t take their medication. We can’t keep clean.”
A male resident, who also spoke to reporters, detailed the daily humiliations and health concerns. He explained that the lack of water makes it difficult to maintain basic hygiene for work, and the alternative water sources are unsafe.
“The water you’re using is not suitable for human consumption because if swallowed, it would give a lot of digestive problems,” he said.
He also raised serious practical and safety concerns about the source of Slovo’s water, confirming it comes from a fire hydrant. “The city themselves is breaking their own rules… You cannot use a fire hydrant for human consumption,” he said, noting that draining hydrants jeopardizes firefighting efforts in an area prone to blazes.
Further compounding the issue are allegations of faulty billing. The resident provided a technical explanation, stating that airlocks in the dry water pipes are causing meters to spin at excessively high speeds, generating massive bills for water that was never delivered.
“The meters are running at terribly high speeds and it’s registering meter readings that is uncalled for,” he said. He demanded that Joburg Water conduct a full audit of every resident’s meter and scrap all bills for periods without water service.
The community has issued a direct challenge to Joburg Water’s management, demanding to know why a long-standing community is being neglected while, they claim, an informal settlement receives state-funded water infrastructure.
“We want to know why this community is being built for water that they’re getting air from,” the resident stated. “And these people are getting free water that the state is picking up the bill for. We want that immediately stopped.”
The situation remains at a stalemate, with residents vowing to continue their fight for a permanent and equitable solution, declaring, “Injury to one is injury to all.”
