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Johannesburg Residents Demand Urgent Water Fixes in Petition to Minister Majodina
Frustrated Johannesburg residents have launched a petition demanding urgent action to repair leaking water infrastructure across the city. Addressed to Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai, the petition calls for immediate repairs to thousands of leaking pipes, meters, and valves—identified as the primary causes of Joburg’s water losses.
The petition urges authorities to stop blaming communities for excessive water consumption and instead focus on failing infrastructure.
Community Outcry Over Johannesburg’s Water Crisis
The petition follows a meeting on 17 January 2025 in Freedom Park, where over 30 civic organisations gathered to discuss the city’s escalating water crisis. A follow-up workshop in February, led by Civic Action for Democracy and Equality (Cade), solidified calls for intervention.
Cade, co-founded by the Human Rights Media Trust and the Legal Resources Centre, represents township and informal settlement civic groups in Gauteng. According to the coalition, Johannesburg’s water crisis stems from mismanagement, ageing infrastructure, and a lack of investment.
Rehad Desai, chairperson of the Human Rights Media Trust, said the petition aims to shift the blame away from residents and onto systemic failures.
“The real problem is that 46% of Johannesburg’s water is lost due to ageing pipes, leaks, and poor maintenance,” Desai said. “Yet, informal settlements are unfairly targeted for disconnections while the city’s infrastructure continues to collapse.”
Joburg Water Losing Nearly Half Its Supply
Johannesburg Water’s own data for the 2023/24 financial year revealed that 46% of its treated water is lost before generating revenue. The breakdown shows:
- Pipe bursts and leaks account for 26% of total water losses.
- Unbilled consumption, such as water used for firefighting or flushing mains, makes up 11.7%.
- Commercial losses, including billing errors and meter inaccuracies, contribute 9.7%.
- Illegal connections from informal settlements account for just 2.1%.
Despite this, Johannesburg Water launched a mass disconnection campaign in informal settlements in November 2024, sparking backlash from civil society groups.
“With nearly a quarter of the city’s water lost due to leaks, fixing infrastructure should be the priority,” said Ferrial Adam, executive manager of WaterCAN, a project by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA). “Instead, the focus is on cutting off informal settlements, which only worsens tensions between residents and authorities.”
Petition Demands Immediate Government Action
The petition calls on Minister Majodina to:
- Provide a clear timeline and plan for fixing water leaks, with fortnightly updates.
- Repair the thousands of leaking meters, burst pipes, faulty valves, and damaged hydrants.
- Ensure Johannesburg collects adequate revenue from high-water-use sectors, such as mining and commercial agriculture.
- Implement stricter water-use regulations for affluent areas, including limits on irrigation and swimming pools.
“We saw what happened with electricity load shedding—non-paying areas were hit hardest,” said Desai. “Now, the same is happening with water. Most townships only get two or three hours of water a day—if they’re lucky.”
Informal Settlements Face the Harshest Impact
The petition highlights that low-income communities bear the brunt of Johannesburg’s water crisis. Areas such as Freedom Park, Slovo Park, Jackson, Phumla Mqashi, Meadowlands, Fleurhof, Thembalihle, and parts of the Vaal frequently go without water for days.
In Freedom Park, residents report that water is only available at night, from 8 PM to 4 AM. Many are forced to wake up at midnight to collect water before supply cuts off.
Peter Monethe, coordinator at Abahlali-Base Freedom Park, said daily life has become a struggle.
“We have no water during the day,” Monethe said. “Residents come home from work around 6 or 7 PM, and the first thing they have to do is queue at a water tank. If they miss their turn, they must wake up at midnight to try again.”
A 2022 social audit by Atlantic Fellows found that informal settlements like Lindelani, home to 1,800 people, rely on just 10 communal water tanks, refilled twice a week. This provides an average of only 10.9 litres per person per day—less than half of the 25-litre minimum under the Free Basic Water Policy.
Calls for Urgent Intervention
The petition underscores the urgency of the crisis, emphasizing that residents in informal settlements cannot be left without water while infrastructure continues to fail.
“We don’t have a choice but to accept whatever is given to us,” Monethe said. “But enough is enough.”
Residents and civil society groups now await a response from Minister Majodina, as the demand for accountability and action grows louder.
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Sourced: Daily Maverick
