A JoJo tank, a dry tap, and a fatal shot: how a water dispute in Sundra turned deadly

What started as an argument over water ended with a man dead on a quiet Sunday afternoon in Sundra, a small Mpumalanga town that has grown used to dry taps, low pressure and long waits for water to return.

Police say a dispute over access to a JoJo tank escalated into a fatal shooting, laying bare how South Africa’s water shortages are no longer just an infrastructure issue, but a trigger for real and deadly conflict.

A fight over water inside a shared home

According to the South African Police Service, the incident unfolded around 5pm at a property in Sundra, near Delmas. A 33-year-old man was shot and killed during an argument with his landlord, a 71-year-old man who lives on the same premises.

The two reportedly clashed over access to water during yet another interruption in municipal supply. With taps dry, the landlord had installed a JoJo tank in his garage, a common survival tactic in towns across Mpumalanga where residents no longer trust the system to deliver water consistently.

Police allege the tenant tried to enter the garage to switch on the pressure pump and draw water. The landlord refused him access.

What followed was a confrontation that ended in gunfire.

Shot at close range

SAPS say the tenant allegedly forced his way toward the tap. The landlord then fired a shot at close range, hitting the man in the left eye.

The victim’s wife reportedly tried to rush to her husband after he was shot, but police say the suspect threatened her, warning that she would be shot too. Fearing for her life, she fled.

The man died at the scene.

Anger spills into the street

Word of the shooting spread quickly through the community. Police say more than 100 residents gathered outside the property, furious and emotionally charged.

Officers reported that the crowd threatened to kill the suspect and burn down the house, a stark sign of how raw emotions around water access have become in struggling towns.

Police moved swiftly to arrest the suspect on a charge of murder. He is expected to appear in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

A town under water stress

Sundra falls under the Victor Khanye Local Municipality, which has been battling ongoing water shortages for years. The municipality receives limited supply from Rand Water, largely due to its massive outstanding debt.

Residents in Delmas, Sundra, Eloff and Rietkol regularly experience low water pressure and intermittent supply. In 2024, Rand Water labelled Victor Khanye an overconsumer and urged the municipality to cut usage a warning that did little to improve conditions on the ground.

As shortages dragged on, more households turned to JoJo tanks, boreholes and pressure pumps, creating new tensions over who controls water when it’s scarce.

When scarcity turns neighbours into enemies

On social media, reactions to the shooting have been a mix of horror, anger and grim recognition. Many commenters say the tragedy reflects a broader reality: water scarcity is pushing people to breaking point.

This wasn’t a random act of violence. It was the outcome of stress, inequality and a basic resource becoming something people must fight over, even within the same household.

As water supply problems deepen across parts of South Africa, Sundra’s tragedy stands as a warning. When access to water is unreliable, the consequences can be far more severe than dry taps.

{Source: The Citizen}

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