SONA PROMISES: 'DOESN'T HOLD WATER'

No tankers, no communication, say frustrated residents

- ANITA NKONKI

AS PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa warned in his State of the Nation Address that water shortages are becoming a national crisis, Johannesburg residents spent the week protesting prolonged outages and demanding urgent intervention.

Across several suburbs, families have been left without reliable supply, highlighting the growing gap between government commitments and the daily reality of dry taps.

The Saturday Star visited affected areas and spoke with residents, many of whom say they have not received water tankers and remain without clear communication from Rand Water or Johannesburg Water.

Community activist Mohammed Peer, who recently led a demonstration at Crown Gardens, described how the shortages are affecting families, particularly the elderly.

"There were lots of elderly people, and you can see they’re the ones most affected by the water outages. Not to say that everyone else isn’t affected, but the fact is, especially our elderly folks - they don’t have vehicles, and they’re living in old-age homes and retirement homes. How do they get water? They've been impacted now for almost a week. It’s sad to see that this is the situation we're facing in our country today, that we just don’t have a basic necessity like water. I mean, we can do without electricity, but water... it’s very hard. And the weather has not helped at all.”

Peer also highlighted the financial strain the shortages are causing. “Many people are having to buy bottled water or rely on alternative sources if tankers are not available. This adds extra strain to already tight budgets.”