After 10 days without water, the community of South Hills welcomed the return of water in their taps.
This was after some of the community took to the streets, barricading South Rand Road with rocks and burning tyres next to the Silver Ball.
Ward 56 and 57 councillors Michael Crichton and Faeeza Chame stood with the people of South Hills on July 12.
Chame said they don’t encourage violence or any form of protest, but the residents cannot be fooled every day by lies and more lies by Joburg Water and Rand Water.
“Why only when residents decided to take to the streets was water restored?
My suggestion to Joburg Water and Rand Water is that regular services and maintenance must be done on the water infrastructure. We live in Covid-19 times where we need water to wash our hands; this was a human rights violation.
“Our elderly had to run every day with buckets, hoping the truck won’t be empty. Toilets were overflowing with filth. Most of our residents had to come out at night, hoping to get water.
“As a councillor and on behalf of our community, this water disaster should never have happened and I hope it was an eye-opener for the people in charge. On a lighter note, I would like to thank the Joburg Water truck drivers that went home late at night, Joburg Water officials and our residents who volunteered during these 10 days,” explained Chame.
The shortage of water was caused by a water pump that exploded on July 4 at Rand Water, Alberton.
In their statement, Justice Mohale from Rand Water said consumers must know that full pumping load has been recovered at the Palmiet Booster Station.
“As promised, the station is pumping at full capacity as of July 11 and the entire water network will gradually be restored to normality. Rand Water expresses its regret for the inconvenience caused to the three metros: City of Johannesburg, City of Ekurhuleni and City of Tshwane.
“We extend our appreciation for your patience and support throughout this difficult period. We urge the communities to continue using water sparingly,” he said.
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