Residents left desperate during prolonged water outage
Recently residents were seen collecting water from a manhole in a desperate attempt to bathe and flush their toilets.
Residents of Willow Street in Kempton Park were left without water following Rand Water’s planned maintenance, with the prolonged outage severely disrupting daily life.
On the morning of December 19, residents were seen collecting water from a manhole in a desperate attempt to bathe and flush their toilets, underscoring the extent of the water crisis in the area.
“It was extremely frustrating because we did not know what was happening.
“There was no communication and no clarity on who to report the matter to or where to get assistance,” said Willow Street resident Tiro Kwamongwe.
“The water had come back briefly on Saturday but went off again on Monday, and we were without water for days.
Also read: WATER OUTAGE: City accused of misleading communication
“I only had a 25-litre container, and I could not be selfish, I shared with my neighbours for cooking, but it was not enough and it became financially draining.”
Resident Hakim Mazari said he witnessed families drawing water from the manhole and shared the footage in the hope that it would draw attention to their situation and prompt assistance with clean, drinkable water.
The footage reached the Community Rise Alliance (CRA), a group formed to assist communities in need.
Members of the organisation subsequently delivered clean water to affected families, offering some relief.
Residents said they were still awaiting the delivery of water tanks to help ease the ongoing shortage.
Willow Street residents expressed gratitude to the CRA for responding to their plight as water scarcity continued to place immense strain on households.
Also read: Water outage extends to more Ekurhuleni areas
A burst pipe was also observed in nearby Albatross Street and was believed to have contributed to the outage, although this was not officially confirmed.
The pipe was later repaired, but it remained unclear whether the repair was temporary or permanent.
The Kempton Express requested clarity from the City of Ekurhuleni regarding the situation.
Communication regarding the ongoing issues will form part of follow up reportage.
