Frustration has boiled over into protest in the Johannesburg suburb of Midrand, where residents are enduring a severe and persistent water outage that has now lasted for weeks. The crisis has sparked demonstrations and led to growing threats of a municipal rates boycott amid broader complaints of failing service delivery.
The situation has left residents scrambling for basic water supplies. On a hot day in Midrand, residents were seen making repeated trips to communal taps, carrying containers ranging from small bottles to large 20-liter drums to meet their households’ needs.
Local resident Kenny Rapaleng, who traveled from the nearby Ivory Park area to collect water, described the dire conditions. “There is no water at all in the township now,” he said. “The toilets are smelling. Kids don’t have water to bath, to go to school.” Rapaleng highlighted the inequality of the crisis, noting his access to a car made getting water “easy” compared to those without transportation.
He detailed the public health risks, stating the lack of flushing toilets is creating foul odors and fears of infection. The problem extends beyond homes, impacting schools, clinics, and even churches. Rapaleng expressed deep frustration with the current administration, saying, “They must deliver services to the communities like they have promised because they are failing us.”
When asked how long 20 liters would last his family, Rapaleng said, “Not even a day.” He explained he would need to make multiple trips if he had more containers, a stark contrast to the average daily water usage of 150 liters per person when the system functions.
A major point of contention for residents is a perceived lack of communication and engagement from officials. Rapaleng stated that no one has been talking directly to the community. “What the mayor and his committee is doing is to talk to us through the media. They don’t come to the communities and explain,” he said, adding that the distribution of water trucks is haphazard and poorly communicated.
On the ground, reporters noted that the water crisis is symptomatic of wider service delivery failures plaguing many South African cities, including inconsistent electricity supply and uncollected rubbish.
Authorities are expected to address the situation. Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero was reportedly receiving a briefing on the crisis. A joint briefing from Mayor Morero and the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, was anticipated.
For now, the residents of Midrand and surrounding areas like Ivory Park continue to struggle, with the threat of withholding municipal rates payments looming as their patience runs dry. As one reporter on the scene summarized, “It’s simply untenable. People can’t live this way.”