Water throttling is real and is affecting communities throughout Johannesburg.
On 25 October, Ferndale, Bryanston and Vandia Grove had their water cut due to high consumption. Johannesburg Water urged residents to reduce the amount of water they consume. As a result, the Randburg Magistrates’ Court and Randburg Police Station were without water for nearly two days.
On 25 and 26 October, Olivedale and surrounding suburbs were without water due to a burst water pipe on Jacaranda Avenue. Water was restored but then turned off again on 26 October, allegedly due to high water consumption.
Jukskei park: Please note technicians are onsite repairing the burst pipe on Jacaranda.Due to weather conditions we do not have ETR.^N
— Johannesburg Water (@JHBWater) October 26, 2016
A concerned resident in Olivedale, Fred Johnson, complained about constantly bursting pipes. “The water pipes are too old and this is impacted greatly by large estates being built, which adds pressure on the system,” said Johnson.
Koogan Moodley, a resident at Lukas Place, shared the same sentiment. “It is not that the people are using too much water it’s because of all the burst pipes we’re having and the one that they don’t want to repair,” said Moodly who added that their complex has had a burst water pipe in their complex for the past five months.
According to Moodley, Johannesburg Water has been contacted on several occasions. “All they did was have a look at it. They want our insurance to pay for the wall they need to break down to replace the pipe,” claimed Moodley.
“Because no one can see this leak they’re not interested in repairing it.”
This problem has persisted in Jukskei Park, which has been without water intermittently since 26 October. Some streets still have no water.
A request for comment has been sent to Johannesburg Water.
