Phumlamqashi residents accuse Joburg Water of providing unsanitary and contaminated JoJo tanks

JOHANNESBURG - Disgruntled residents of Phumlamqashi in Lenasia have accused Joburg Water of providing unsanitary and contaminated JoJo tanks to them.
 
On Friday, frustrated residents marched from the informal settlement to Joburg Water’s Ennerdale depot, where they submitted a memorandum of demands, addressed to Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
 
The community’s struggle stems from years of illegal water connections being cut off by the entity.
 
Joburg Water argues that these illegal connections strain their ability to supply paying customers.

Residents claim they have suffered symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea from drinking water stored in the supplied JoJo tanks.
 
The tanks were introduced as an alternative supply to avoid the consequences of a complete water cut-off - a move that has been widely rejected by the community.
 
Protesters have demanded the installation of communal taps, calling the tanks unsanitary and unsafe. 
 
"They don’t want JoJo tanks anymore because of hygiene concerns," one resident explained.

"They want boreholes instead, as we don’t even know where this water comes from."
 
Until the premier responds, the residents will have to continue using the JoJo tanks.