City demolishes 2nd church in order to solve Diepsloot’s water crisis
Hope for a lasting solution emerged as a second church was demolished to make way for repairs to Diepsloot’s damaged water pipeline.
A second church, built above a damaged water pipeline, has been demolished on July 23, as efforts to restore water to affected Diepsloot residents continue.
The latest development follows an update issued by Ward 95 councillor Julius Maake on July 22, when he confirmed that one church had already been removed after he instructed the owners to vacate the site to allow Johannesburg Water access to the damaged pipeline.
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“As we speak the whole of Diepsloot does not have water because of this issue. Now, the main pipe is closed in order to fix this situation.”
The operation was attended by Maake and community leader Jacob Shika, who has been involved in mobilising residents around service delivery issues.
Pastor Brave Moyo, from Living waters, said watching the church being demolished was heartbreaking, but acknowledged that the building had been erected on land where it should not have been.
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“It is painful to see the church come down because we started from nothing and worked hard to build it.
We knew it was not the right place to build. If removing it means the community will finally get water again, then it has to happen. We will trust God and start again from scratch.”
Residents expressed hope that the removal of the remaining obstruction will allow repair teams to complete the work and restore a reliable water supply to the affected parts of Diepsloot after days of disruption.
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