Dry taps and broken promises: Joburg's commando system under siege

Residents across several Johannesburg suburbs remain in a state of crisis as dry taps persist, despite high-level assurances from Mayor Dada Morero that relief is on the way.

The water shortage has hit Melville, Brixton, Claremont, and Selby hardest, where residents are grappling with either intermittent supply or total outages.

The desperation reached a breaking point yesterday in Coronationville and Westbury, where community members took to the streets in protest after suffering through three weeks without water.

Joburg Water has attributed the ongoing crisis to failures within the Commando system, which is currently under extreme pressure. Specifically, the Hursthill 1 and 2 reservoirs, the primary sources for the hardest-hit areas, are leaking.

These reservoirs have been put on a bypass, a move that limits Rand Water’s ability to pump sufficient volumes into the system.

Advocacy group WaterCAN argues that these issues are the result of long-term mismanagement.

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"We’ve had over a decade of not enough money being spent on maintenance; that is the bottom line," says WaterCAN Director Ferial Adam.

A significant factor compounding the city’s water woes is the delayed completion of the Brixton Tower and Reservoir.

While the project is essential for stabilising the grid, it has been plagued by financial mismanagement. Reports indicate that funds originally allocated for the Brixton project were diverted, causing contractors to abandon the site due to non-payment.

Now, the city’s water entity is in a race to "play catch-up" to restore functionality to Region B.

Mayor Morero recently committed to a firm timeline, stating that the Brixton projectexpected to provide approximately 37 million litres of storage, will come online this Saturday.

"By month end of February, it will be fully functional; it will help us provide Region B with sufficient storage," Morero stated.

Despite the Mayor’s optimism, Joburg Water has yet to officially confirm if the reservoir and tower will indeed be operational by the weekend.

Adam maintains that even if the taps are turned back on this Saturday, the history of the project cannot be ignored.

"Someone still has to account for the delays," said Adam.