A promised resolution to a persistent water crisis sparked angry protests and a violent police response in the Johannesburg suburb of Westbury on Tuesday, leaving a senior citizen injured and residents demanding immediate action.
The unrest began after Johannesburg Water’s pledge to restore water supply within 10 hours failed. According to residents, taps ran dry again mere moments after a brief restoration, breaking what the community sees as the latest in a long line of empty promises.
Frustrated residents took to the streets, blocking roads with burning tires and bringing the area to a standstill. The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) were deployed to monitor the escalating situation.
The protest turned violent when police opened fire on demonstrators. A senior citizen was shot and witnessed at the scene accused police of acting without reason. “They surround us and just shoot us for no reason,” the injured man stated, explaining that the protest was a peaceful demand for a basic human right. “We just want water.”
Residents detailed years of neglect and unreliable water supply. One resident expressed the collective frustration, stating, “It’s only empty promises. Those people would come week in and week out and promise us water.” He explained that the utility provides water for a few days following a protest, only for it to disappear again without notification.
The impact on the community, particularly the elderly and children, is severe. A 77-year-old woman from a local old age home described the immense physical difficulty of carrying buckets of water from trucks for the past three months. “How must I bath myself? How must I keep myself clean? How must I stay healthy?” she asked.
She and other residents called for direct intervention from higher levels of government, specifically demanding that President Ramaphosa address the ongoing crisis in their communities. “They don’t come out to us. They talk a lot of crap on TV,” she said. “We are suffering… We living like pigs. It’s our basic rights.”
The communities of Coronationville, Westbury, Newclare, Claremont, and Newlands were specifically named as areas suffering from the prolonged lack of access to a consistent water supply.
