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World-class African city? Dry taps, leaks and a new ‘lake’ in Joburg
World-class African city? Dry taps, leaks and a new ‘lake’ in Joburg
Johannesburg residents are living through a crisis that paints a stark contrast to the city’s “World-class African City” tagline. Across suburbs from Melville to Emmarentia, taps run dry, burst pipes create impromptu lakes, and social tensions rise as water shortages continue to grip the city.
Protests flare over prolonged outages
Residents in several suburbs, including Parktown West, Mayfair, Greenside, and Parkview, are planning protests after enduring nearly 20 days without running water. Social media posts show frustrated communities queuing for water tankers, often leaving the elderly, children, and vulnerable families empty-handed.
In some neighbourhoods, the queues have devolved into disputes, with reports of residents taking more than their fair share while others are left without. WaterCAN, a civil society group monitoring the crisis, warns that tensions will continue to rise if infrastructure failures are not urgently addressed.
🚨🚨SECRETARY GENERAL SERVICE DELIVERY ALERT IN CITY OF JOHANNESBURG
Today we addressed the issue of the burst water pipes in Homestead Road, Bryanston in the City of Johannesburg. Upon receiving complaints the city acted to switch of the flow of water as not to waste any of… pic.twitter.com/EcWoST6h63
ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) February 10, 2026
Strike ends, but pressure remains
Adding fuel to the fire, Johannesburg Water workers staged a strike over unpaid bonuses, though it ended on Tuesday after negotiations. The strike, deemed unprotected, came at a time when the city’s central water systems were already struggling due to poor incoming supply and increasing demand.
Johannesburg Water confirmed that while the strike is over, constraints in the system persist, leaving residents in a precarious position.
Linbro Park lake: a visual symbol of failure
Perhaps the most striking image of the crisis comes from Linbro Park, where a burst pipe has been gushing millions of litres of clean drinking water for days. DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille visited the scene and shared a video on Instagram, jokingly dipping her legs into the makeshift lake.
“It’s a really lekker summer day in Joburg, I thought I’d take some time off and relax at the dam… not,” Zille quipped. She stressed that while Rand Water throttles supply due to perceived overconsumption, the reality is that infrastructure failure and leaks are the real culprits.
“Before Johannesburg Water scolds residents about water use, fix your pipes,” she said, highlighting that millions of litres are lost daily to waste and deteriorating infrastructure.
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ANC responds amid political spotlight
The burst pipes also drew the attention of ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, who visited a leaking pipe on Homestead Road, Bryanston. He confirmed that municipal workers on strike contributed to delayed maintenance but emphasised the need to address infrastructure problems without turning them into political points.
Mayor Dada Morero is expected to brief the media soon, likely addressing both the current outages and measures the city is taking to restore water supply.
A crisis long in the making
The unfolding situation underscores long-standing issues in Johannesburg’s water management. While daily shortages hit households, visible waste like the Linbro Park lake has sparked public outrage. Social media users have been sharing photos and videos, asking why water meant for homes and schools is running unchecked down streets.
Experts note that Johannesburg’s aging infrastructure, combined with population growth and rising demand, has stretched the system to breaking point. Strikes, maintenance backlogs, and insufficient monitoring of reservoir levels exacerbate the problem, turning a technical issue into a public crisis.
Water woes continue
For residents, the situation is more than an inconvenience. Water is a basic right, and until authorities repair leaks, restore consistent supply, and manage resources effectively, Johannesburg’s claim as a “World-class African City” remains more slogan than reality.
The Linbro Park leak is not just a literal flood it’s a symbol of a system under stress, where millions of litres vanish while citizens go thirsty. And unless urgent steps are taken, more lakes, protests, and dry taps are likely to follow.
{Source: The Citizen}
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