Businesses affected by Joburg water throttling worried that the cuts are indefinite
Water supply cuts are set to begin on Thursday, in force from 9 pm to 4 am.
Picture: Pexels
John Perlman gets an update from Eyewitness News reporter Mongezi Koko.
Residents of Johannesburg will have to start living with daily water cuts, as a regime of 'water throttling' kicks off on Thursday.
Water pressure will be low during the restriction times from 9 pm to 4 am, and it appears this will go on indefinitely.
Announcing the measures on Monday, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina said the City intends to implement this continuously from the 14th of November 'until the system is fully recovered'.
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The move is aimed at allowing Joburg’s reservoirs to fill up and stabilise.
Speaking to people on the street, Mongezi Koko from Eyewitness News reports there's anger and disdain at being blamed themselves for over-using water.
"According to the statistics released by Majodina, an average Johannesburg resident is using 60% above the daily average in the world, which then points the misuse of water in the direction of the residents, and this was not welcomed."
Mongezi Koko, Reporter - Eyewitness News
One resident remarked that water throttling is being used as a smokescreen for the failures of Joburg Water and the City in general.
And while the restrictions are in force overnight, it will affect some businesses like car washes and hair salons, Koko says.
Business owners are particularly worried that there's no timeline for how long this will continue.
"Hair salons for instance do find the odd customer coming in for braids perhaps after work at 6 pm - this service takes an extended amount of time and the client may only leave at 10 pm. They say water throttling is going to disrupt their day-to-day operations."
Mongezi Koko, Reporter - Eyewitness News
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Scroll to the top of the article to listen to Koko's update