By Duncan Mnisi
Severe water shortages in Ivory Park and Ebony Park have become a daily obstacle, significantly affecting residents’ livelihoods and routines.
Community frustrations escalated on Tuesday, with residents taking to the streets and blocking roads with burning tires, rocks, and debris to draw attention to their plight.
The demonstrations temporarily disrupted traffic along major routes such as Republic Road.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) confirmed that officers were monitoring the situation, which caused traffic delays and road closures.
The water crisis has worsened in recent months, forcing residents to fill buckets that last only a few hours before the next outage.
This persistent shortage has created ongoing hardships for the community, who are forced to ration water and endure an unpredictable supply.
Tebogo Nkomonde, a local community leader, said residents’ patience had worn thin after months of inconsistent water supply worsened by ongoing outages.
“We used to have some predictability, but now water comes and goes without warning, making daily life difficult,” he said.
Residents reported having to leave school early or purchase bottled water due to the lack of running water at home, particularly in the mornings when taps often run dry.
Tshembani Mathebula from Ebony Park expressed his frustration, explaining that his household has resorted to buying bottled water after water supplies were cut off.
“In recent days, we’ve had to buy drinking water because none is available at home. We used to see water trucks, but they no longer come. I couldn’t go to work today because the boom gates were blocked during protests,” he said.
Despite raising their concerns with local authorities, residents feel their pleas have been ignored and express frustration over what they perceive as a lack of serious response from officials.
As residents continue to demand immediate action, their protests remain ongoing, with many vowing to persist until water supply issues are resolved and access to roads is restored.
Motorists are advised to exercise caution and seek alternative routes to avoid disruptions.
While authorities maintain that the situation is under control, community leaders stress the urgent need for intervention.
