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100 signatures reached
To: Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina and Sipho Mosai, and the CEO of Rand Water.
Water and Sanitation Minister, when will all water leaks be fixed?
Many communities don’t have water, and the Minister blames the people for using too much water. This makes no sense when all the evidence shows that the City of Johannesburg is losing its water through leaks because the pipes are not being fixed and maintained.
The City of Johannesburg is failing to maintain its water infrastructure. Communities are forced to live without water for as many as five days a week. Children are put in danger, sent to fetch water far away, and sometimes have to skip school.
Communities across Joburg shared their frustrations during a meeting held by various community and civil society organisations in Johannesburg South Freedom Park on 17 January 2025.
“In Eikenhof, shacks were burned down, and we had to watch a child burn to death because we had no water. We are in such a terrible state in our area that you see children ages three to five years sent far away to fetch water carrying five-litre bottles”.
It is widely reported that the water infrastructure in the City of Johannesburg is ancient, on the verge of collapse [1], and urgently needs to be replaced. The problems associated with the City’s failure to maintain its infrastructure have resulted in reports that the City of Johannesburg loses up to 45% of its water in leaks [2]. This is even though most reports often place this percentage at 35%. University of Johannesburg-based water scientist Kyle van Heyde argues that most data that places water loss at 35% is questionable and unverified. He adds that 35% - 45% losses would reflect a more honest view.
A survey of 12,100 kilometres of pipelines revealed that Johannesburg has about 6,727 leaking meters, 2,396 burst pipes, 442 leaking valves, and 259 leaking fire hydrants [3]. The leakages are so harmful that during dry seasons, streams such as the Klip River and Juskei River have been found to contain a higher content of municipal cleaned and treated piped water [4].
Why is this important?
Communities should not be burying their children, nor should they have to live harsh lives without a water supply for so long.
Communities like Freedom Park reported at the same meeting on 17 January that they sometimes have to go far on foot at night to fetch water for their needs. They complain that water trucks don’t go into all community sections and favour sections with Jojo tanks. These reports are worrying and indicate that mismanagement is at the core of the issue that causes communities to get the bitter end of the stick. Even more troubling, however, is that the City of Johannesburg is very slow in addressing these serious problems.
The City of Johannesburg needs to urgently fix the leaks often seen with piles of clean and treated water in holes and inflows throughout the city. This means that the narrative that Johannesburg has a water crisis because communities are bridging water is untrue.
Moreover, the City of Johannesburg should not be allowed to promote the narrative that communities that use water for basic needs such as drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing are wasting water.
We call on Pemmy Majodina to:
- When will all the water pipes be fixed, Minister Majodina, stop blaming people
- We want the minister to give us a plan showing us when they will fix all the water leaks.
- We want the minister to give fortnightly updates detailing the process of fixing water leaks as well as the financial shortfall
- Fix all 6,727 leaking meters
- Fix all 2,396 burst pipes
- Fix all 442 leaking valves
- Fixes all 259 leaking fire hydrants
- Ensure the CoJ collects adequate revenue from sectors like mining and large-scale commercial agriculture that use large quantities of water for profit. Stricter regulations should also be in place for suburbs and golf courses that use tons of water to irrigate lawns and maintain swimming pools.
Low-income communities in informal settlements and townships bear the brunt of water cuts. They have had more water shedding than the suburbs and commercial companies, which needs to change.
Communities in Freedom Park, Slovo Park, Jackson, townships in the Vaal, Phumla Mqashi, and areas like Meadowlands, Fleurhof, Thembalihle, and more have decided to say enough is
enough about the water issues they have been experiencing for years.
They call on us to stand in solidarity by signing this petition.
References
References
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