The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg has promised residents of Claremont, Westbury, and Coronationville that water will be restored within seven days. Today, with six days left, the Joburg Crisis Alliance intends to hold the mayor to his promise.

Communities in these areas have lived with intermittent water for more than a decade. Most recently, they have been without water for many days. Residents have said this is enough and have taken to the streets to protest for water justice.  First, they had to face tear gas and rubber bullets, and then only did the Executive Mayor come to see them, where he promised water in seven days.

Not having water is not just an inconvenience—it is a public health crisis. Families cannot cook, clean, or care for their children safely without reliable access to water.  The Joburg Crisis Alliance asks, if the city can’t provide water for its residents, is it fit to host the leaders of the world at the G20 Summit later this year?

While the focus this week was on water disruptions in Claremont, Westbury, and Coronationville to the west, and Ivory Park in the north, the lack of a reliable clean water supply is a systemic crisis with deep roots across the City and should be addressed as such.

At the recent JCA Summit, we heard residents talk from Nana’s Farm, Snake Park, Coronationville, Westbury, Kensington, Cyrildene, Lawley, Langlaagte North, Florida Park and so on complain about water quality, water outages, low pressure, bills with no supply, contaminated water, the ongoing bucket system, leaks and wastage, water tanker corruption and the lack of borehole management.

Water is a constitutional right that Joburg residents are being denied, while people profit from the lack of water.  While the wealthy can afford to purchase water or drill boreholes, the poor, the elderly and children suffer the most. They are forced to pay for water they can’t afford, queue for water, wake up in the middle of the night to fill buckets, and rely on illegal connections.

Together with Water Can and local organisations, the Joburg Crisis Alliance demands:

• Accountability: The Mayor must stand by his commitment. If water is not restored in seven days, he must resign. The current crisis is evidence of systemic failure. The MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Jack Sekwaila and the Joburg Water Board must also step down if they can’t provide sustained leadership to address the crisis.
• Sufficient budget: The City must ensure that there is sufficient budget and cash to pay contractors for agreed-upon projects.
• Hands off political interference: Officials must be allowed to plan and deliver in line with technical imperatives. Councillors, MMCs and board members should not interfere in the operations of Joburg Water.
• Immediate Relief: Legitimate, managed, and sufficient water tankers must be dispatched to all affected areas now—not tomorrow, not next week.  Throttling one area to assist another should be done with adequate notice to all concerned and phased out as soon as possible.
• Credibility and Care: The City has shown that it is not fit to host a prestigious event like the G20 when it cannot cater for the basic needs of its citizens. Funds earmarked for sprucing up the City must be redirected to crucial needs.
• Responsiveness: Call must be answered, and residents must know when water will be returned. Outages and leaks must be responded to speedily and not over weekends or at night when workers can claim overtime
• Transparency: Residents do not need fragmented promises. We demand a single, comprehensive, and accurate action plan to resolve the city’s water failures. The President’s Johannesburg Working Group (PJWG) must receive this plan, where civil society will hold the City accountable.

As the Joburg Crisis Alliance, we will support the communities who have mobilised for their constitutional rights and for their dignity and health! We will stand by them to ensure that City leadership cannot continue to fail them without consequence.

Johannesburg is counting down seven days. For residents without water, each day feels like a lifetime. The Executive Mayor has set his own clock. When the seven days are up, we will see if his promise holds or if trust in his leadership runs dry. Six days remain. Johannesburg residents are watching, waiting and thirsty.

Issued by: Joburg Crisis Alliance

For media inquiries, please contact:
Anele Gcwabe

Communications Manager

Ahmed Kathrada Foundation

083-278-8832

anele@kathradafoundation.org