‘No Water, No Silence’: Johannesburg Residents Mobilise for Mass Protest Over Failing Water System

Johannesburg’s Water Fight Comes to the Streets

Johannesburg is days away from what could become one of its biggest civic protests in years. A broad coalition of residents, activists, and civil society organisations plans to gather outside the Johannesburg Council Chambers on Saturday, 1 November, demanding urgent action to end the city’s deepening water crisis.

The coalition led by groups like WaterCAN, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, JoburgCAN, Abahlali Freedom Park, Professionals and Business for Change, Defend Our Democracy, and others says the crisis has crossed the line from service failure to a human rights emergency.

In their words:

“We are fed up. We have waited too long while our taps run dry. This is not just about water – it’s about respect, accountability, and the right to live with dignity.”

The protest will be peaceful, but organisers say they are done being polite spectators to collapse.

What Protesters Want and Who They’re Targeting

A formal letter has already landed on the desk of Johannesburg’s executive mayor Dada Morero, listing eight urgent demands. If the city doesn’t respond, organisers warn that the campaign will escalate.

Their demands include:

• Ringfencing all money for water and sanitation

• Full accounting for the R4 billion missing from Joburg Water’s accounts

• Investigations into the use and alleged abuse of water tankers

• Immediate provision of piped water to informal settlements

• Reform of the Joburg Water Board to include civil society, business and government

• National and provincial intervention from the Presidency, DWS and Gauteng government

The coalition insists this is not a declaration of war, but a demand for partnership:

“The solutions exist – what’s missing is political will and transparency.”

‘Dry Taps, Broken Promises’ – Life Across the City

While officials preach “water conservation,” residents across the metro haven’t had functioning taps for weeks.

Some of the worst-hit areas include:

• Westbury

• Ebony Park

• Parts of Soweto

In some neighbourhoods, water has been off for nearly a month. Even Sandton set to host international leaders for the upcoming G20 summit recently endured a week-long outage.

Small businesses are bleeding. Schools and hospitals are scrambling. Many families now rely on communal standpipes, JoJo tanks, or expensive bottled water just to cook and wash.

Experts Say It’s Not the Rain, It’s the Rot

Johannesburg isn’t running out of water. It’s running out of governance.

Top experts have been blunt:

Dr Shaun Phillips (Director-General, Dept. of Water and Sanitation) told Parliament that Rand Water is supplying enough water and the real problem lies inside municipalities.

If infrastructure was maintained, leaks reduced, and storage and pumping upgraded, Phillips says, there’d be no crisis.

Dr Ferrial Adam of WaterCAN agrees:

“The majority of dry taps we see today are not caused by natural scarcity but by governance failures.”

She says billions have already been “spent” on upgrades that never materialised often clouded by corruption and mismanagement.

Dr Anthony Turton, one of the country’s leading water experts, was even more direct:

“There is a 100% correlation with governance failure. Nowhere in South Africa do we have absolute water scarcity. Taps are dry because municipalities have failed.”

He lists the causes:

• Lost technical skills

• Poor revenue collection

• Funds not ringfenced

• Corruption and cadre deployment

Public Sentiment: ‘We’re Paying Rates for Nothing’

On community WhatsApp groups, TikTok, and X (Twitter), residents are venting:

• “You can’t cook respect. You can’t bath with promises.”

• “If Sandton was dry for a month, there’d be a state of emergency.”

• “Tanks don’t build themselves. Someone is eating.”

Across suburbs, public anger is crossing class and political lines. Many say the water crisis could become the next ‘e-tolls’ moment just with far higher stakes.

Will the City Listen Before the Streets Erupt?

Protesters insist they still want constructive cooperation with the municipality but only if the City shows real commitment to change.

The venue outside the Council Chambers is symbolic: this time, they want the crisis addressed at the very seat of power, not in press statements.

Mayor Morero will be expected to respond on the day. If he doesn’t, or if the response is vague, the coalition has promised “an escalation campaign” potentially involving legal action, shutdowns, and national pressure.

A Turning Point for the City

Johannesburg’s water crisis is no longer a technical issue it’s political, economic and constitutional.

Residents aren’t marching for favours. They’re marching for survival, dignity and their right to live in a functioning city.

Whether the City engages or digs in its heels, 1 November could mark the moment Joburg’s water crisis stopped being a quiet struggle and became a public reckoning.

{Source: Newsday}

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