Resignations demanded as Joburg's water crisis boils over

As taps run dry across the city, mayor Dada Morero admits that billions were pulled from Johannesburg Water's coffers under a 'sweeping arrangement'. The result: stalled infrastructure projects.

- By Julia Evans

Above: A young boy in Coronationville on the West Rand pulls a trolley full of water bottles to supply elderly neighbours during persistent water cuts; Below: Residents protest over water shortages in Coronationville on 10 September.

(Julia Evans Fani Mahuntsi/Gallo Images)

Joburg mayor Dada Morero tried to address residents at a community meeting in Coronationville on Thursday, 18 September, but he was drowned out by chants of “We want water”.

Residents, some of whom have gone weeks without a consistent supply, told of carrying buckets late at night, elderly neighbours struggling up stairwells and children missing school because their uniforms could not be washed.

“The so-called emergency allocation for high-rise pipes offers too little, too late,” said the Joburg Crisis Alliance, a coalition of residents and activists.

“As the city prepares to host G20 dignitaries, its own citizens suffer without basic services. The silence from the Presidency is equally unacceptable.”

Parliamentary showdown

The following day, Friday, 19 September, Morero was grilled by the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation over the diversion of R4-billion from Johannesburg Water.

DA MP Stephen Moore challenged the mayor: “Why was R4-billion taken from Joburg Water at this critical time, when communities are going without water for weeks? What other expenses were deemed more important than residents’ basic right to water?”