Johannesburg — Residents in Westbury, Westdene and Coronationville have blocked roads with rocks and tyres to protest against the water outages currently plaguing the residents of the city.
Residents have been forced to find alternate ways to make food, wash, and fill water bottles for the day ahead as the taps run dry. The residents have been left frustrated by the lack of service delivery and neglect from the council over the years and closed the streets in protest.
According to eNCA, residents closed the busy Harmony street with rocks and tyres as residents are trying to determine why the water has been cut, and said the protest was the only way to get the government to notice them
“It started a few years ago when they started throttling the water to this specific area,” a resident said.
He explained that water pipes in a number of areas had been repaired and the problems had passed but then it was off again.
‘When we asked why the water was off and on, there was a whole lot of different reasons. The problem is this, how do you put water on from 12 in the morning until 2 or 3 and then it suddenly goes off?” he said.
The residents had approached the City of Joburg Water to determine why the residents were facing these issues, but explained that corruption and sabotage were impacting the way water was distributed to Westbury and surrounding areas.
Westbury residents are blocking roads, demanding the government tell them when supply will be restored. Several other areas have also been left without water, with Rand Water warning of a looming crisis. eNCA’s Bafedile Moerane is following developments. #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/ciAc9d25mG
— eNCA (@eNCA) October 17, 2024
Another resident, Jacqueline Holmes, told The Citizen that she needed to get up at 1am every day to shower and fill bottles for her family, and to wake her elderly cancer-stricken mother up to wash her.
When the protests started on Wednesday, the water was restored to appease the residents, but it had been cut again by Thursday morning.
Police attempted to clear the road but the residents remained defiant and said they would not be bullied out of their pleas.
Police have intervened, saying the protest is illegal because it does not have the required permissions. Holmes says she applied for permission earlier this week but had not heard back from the city.
She said the situation has gotten worse in the area and has left many already-struggling people to find expensive ways to feed their families, while unemployment continues to grow in the area.
She also explained that schools have had to close early or not open at all due to the water crisis, meaning many children suffer from getting an education.
“Where do our children get an education? It is not okay. We are frustrated and tired. Water is a basic human right and we are being deprived of it,” she said.
WATCH: Westbury residents confront police attempting to clear a protest over water outages in the area. They claim the police are targeting them and not criminals in the area. pic.twitter.com/Cf5kHPcSrb
— Kyle Zeeman (@Justzeeman) October 17, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
