Joburg Water uncovers illegal water connections in Lenasia informal settlements
Illegal water connections in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, have caused significant strain on the area’s water system, with six informal settlements flagged for their unlawful links to the Lenasia water supply.
One of the settlements, Phumlangashi (formerly known as Univille), located near Lenasia South and separated by the Golden Highway, is a major contributor to the crisis.
Joburg Water’s regional manager, Kagiso Manganye, revealed the extent of the issue on 12 November, during an operation aimed at disconnecting the illegal connections.
Phumlangashi alone is home to over 16,000 households relying on the illegal supply, which has led to severe strain on the water system.
“Within region G, we have three systems, including Orange Farm, Lenasia, and Ennerdale. Univille is connected to the system supplying water to Lenasia, which is part of the Zuurbekom system from Rand Water,”
Manganye explained. “We are now facing a crisis due to the high number of informal settlements in the region, with Univille being a significant contributor to non-revenue water losses.”
As a result of these illegal connections, Joburg Water has been forced to isolate the Lenasia reservoir from 1pm to 5pm each day to allow the system to recover and build up water storage, which in turn impacts paying customers.
Residents have expressed frustration at the ongoing water shortages, with a 60-year-old woman saying, “We have to store water in buckets just to flush toilets.
When the supply ends, we wait for days without knowing when it will return. This issue of water has been going on for years.” She also highlighted the high monthly water bill, which exceeds R5,000, despite the poor supply and low water pressure.
Ridwan Mohammed, another local resident, pointed out that the water issue is long-standing, with some households resorting to digging boreholes or installing JoJo tanks.
“People are desperate and even resorting to stealing taps. It’s unfair that we’re denied a basic need like water,” he said.
For residents of Phumlangashi, the water crisis is a matter of survival. Nomalanga Khoza shared her frustration:
“We voted for our local councillor, but we feel abandoned. We know we connected illegally, but we had to make a plan because we’ve been waiting for water for so long. Now it’s bad because we’ve been disconnected and must rely on dirty water from tankers.”
The operation to disconnect the illegal water connections was halted after residents began throwing rocks at Joburg Water officials. Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Joburg Water spokeswoman Nombuso Shabalala confirmed that the utility will review its strategy and plan the next steps for continued disconnections following the violent confrontation.
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