WATCH: Gauteng says ‘sorry’ as residents suffer amid water cuts

As the Gauteng province continues to suffer amid an 86-hour water cut, Gauteng’s acting premier, Lebogang Maile, has apologised to residents, saying they would step in to assist municipalities facing the water cuts.

This comes as the province grapples with a water crisis, with some residents worried about the probability of a “day zero” scenario.

Watch Lebogang Maile speaking about the water crisis in Joburg

As the Gauteng province continues to suffer from the excruciating 86—hour water shortages, Gauteng’s acting premier, Lebogang Maile has apologised to residents saying they would step in to assist municipalities facing water crisis'. Vid: eNCA #Gauteng #Johannesburg… pic.twitter.com/ZJxQSulVt9

— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) December 16, 2024

Water queues

Joburg residents remain without water for a fourth day, while Rand Water carries out maintenance on its two critical pump stations which supply over 4 million people

Residents have complained as they are unable to cook, shower and flush toilets in their homes.

ALSO READ: Sweltering heat and dry taps: 86-hour water outage nears end

The Citizen visited several retailers in Lenasia and Lenasia South, where long queues formed as people cleared shelves of bottled water to pour into cisterns for flushing toilets, cooking and bathing, among other difficulties.

‘Citizens inconvenienced’

Maile said they will contact Rand Water to find out what is going on.

“We are concerned as the Gauteng Provincial Government and even if its not our responsibility, we would like to apologise to the citizens who are inconvenienced and we will definitely get in touch with Rand Water and Joburg Water to understand how far the problem would go.

“It’s just not right that the citizens are inconvenienced and do not have water during this period.  We understand that maintenance must be undertaken but during maintenance there has to be interim measures in place and people must not be inconvenienced,” Maile said.

Calm down

The African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg has appealed to residents for patience.  

ANC Joburg regional spokesperson Masilo Serekele welcomed the welcomed the routine maintenance by Rand Water but called on Joburg Water to speedily deliver alternative means of water to affected communities where maintenance is still underway.

“The African National Congress in Johannesburg appeals for patience during this period of maintenance which is due to be completed on Monday, 16 December 2024, understanding that the maintenance increases the lifespan of the water infrastructure.

“While we commend both Joburg Water and Rand Water for their timeous and continued communication, we plead that they focus more on communicating on the alternative water sources working closely with the Cllrs in the different Wards across the City of Johannesburg,” said Serekele.

Restoration

Meanwhile, water has been restored to some areas in Johannesburg after Rand Water completed maintenance work at one of its pump stations.

The water utility said the work on the Zwartkoppies pump station is 100% complete.

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Tshabalala said one more pump station was being repaired.

“The maintenance work at the Eikenhof pump station still continues, with completion projected for Monday the 16th of December,” said Tshabalala.

ALSO READ: Joburg water outage: Here’s where to find your alternative water sources