Going off-grid is less a lifestyle choice, but more of a necessity for Joburg residents

The Northcliff Melville Times spoke to several small businesses in Melville to see how they were managing with dwindling service from the city.

Most use a generator to mitigate load-shedding at a high cost when profit margins are tight, but being without water is harder to deal with.

Johannesburg is rare considering the size of the city which does not have its own local water source and relies on supply from Rand Water.

As Johannesburg Water already finds itself battling to meet its mandate, residents and businesses are having to scramble to mitigate outages.

This may become even more critical after the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, called for Rand Water to implement water shifting in the province. This was in response to angry residents in South Hill whom he met after extended outages caused frustrations to boil over.

The footprint of this paper will not be affected by water shifting but as the warmer months see an increase in demand from the city which is already struggling with supply, it is concerning.

Going ‘off-grid’ is more and more common with inverters, generators and boreholes coming into play as reliance on the municipality becomes untenable.

De La Crème in Melville opened 36 years ago and is a bakery, café, and deli.

Owner Savva Spiridakos said, “Water is fundamental to our business as we need it to bake, make coffee and ensure the shop is clean and toilets flushed and sanitary.

“Because of an erratic water supply, we must ensure we always have drums of water filled and ready for use. We simply can no longer rely on the city to provide uninterrupted water supply, or electricity.”

His biggest frustration though is that despite the water and power interruptions, he has not seen a reduction in his monthly municipal bill.

“Last week our water was off virtually every day.”

He, like others, have commented on the number of local restaurants that have closed recently. “Between struggling through Covid-19, general economic downturn, load-shedding, and water insecurity, it is tough to keep going. But we must and we will.”

Bambanani

Gabi Sham from Bambanani, a restaurant specifically catered for children to have a safe and happy place to play while their parents enjoy a meal is bewildered by the water situation.

“The water is off so often we have had to install a JoJo tank which cost us about R30 000. That is a cost we can ill afford and is in addition to the generator we had to buy to keep the lights on during load-shedding. It costs a fortune to run.

“We pay all our rates and taxes yet have almost had to become self-reliant to keep trading. How much more must we invest to supplement the services the municipality should be providing?

“Melville has had so many restaurants close in the last six months and I worry for those who are finding it increasingly difficult to supplement services that the city should be providing.”

The Crows Nest

Situated on Fourth Avenue, The Crows Nest is an edgy tattoo shop where Hannah Kelling works.

“We are constantly worrying about water supply and ensuring our buckets and containers are refilled when it returns. It is something that is always in the back of your mind and is exhausting.

“Because of the kind of business we are, the shop needs to be particularly clean and sanitary. Luckily, we don’t need water to sterilise our equipment, it is a separate process but everything else in one way or another needs water.”

When the power goes off, they use a generator, but she said there was a substantial ‘pause’ in operations while everything needed was linked up and ready for use again which was frustrating to staff and customers.

“We are lucky compared to some shops though as our needs are fairly simple, fortunately.”

Pilates & Wellness Studio

Sheneela Sing from the Pilates & Wellness Studio said they rely on a borehole full-time to keep services running.

“Because of the constant problems with the municipality, we now only use borehole water as do other businesses on the premises. It is not feasible to stay open if we did not have this option though, which many don’t.

“Water outages we can manage but load-shedding is still a stressor. The constant on and off sometimes messes with our generator which means the borehole can’t pump water, then it is tough.

“Our gym needs to be clean, and our clients use the changerooms and showers after a session, so water is essential. Obviously, we also need to keep the toilets hygienic too.

“As much as we can, we don’t rely on the city for anything because it is too unreliable and services are not delivered too often for us to depend on.”

Jewish cemetery

Jewish traditions and sacred ceremonies performed when a person dies and at their funeral require water which is essential for them to be carried out.

Darryen Sevitz, who works at the Jewish cemetery at Westpark said relying on borehole water had meant they were not affected by water outages in the area.

“Water is essential for life but also crucial when someone has passed,” he said.

“Not only does the deceased need to be prepared for burial with ritual cleansing ceremonies, but whenever someone leaves the ceremony, they need to wash their hands. Washing of the hands removes spiritual impurities following a burial and is vitally important.”

“Without access to a borehole, life would be extremely difficult for us.”

Auckland Park Florist

Louise Daneel has owned the Auckland Park florist shop in Melville for 16 years, a business that has been open for more than 60, but times are tough.

“It is hugely challenging to run this kind of business without a guaranteed water supply. We are constantly prepping and planning to ensure when the taps invariably run dry that we are prepared.”

“Add onto that the state of the economy whereby flowers and gifts fall down the list of priorities for people, and load-shedding, keeping afloat is tough.

“I feel like we are fighting on every front. Fighting filth, securing water, dealing with load-shedding, avoiding potholes when making deliveries, spiralling poverty, and general decline, I’m exhausted.

“But we are determined to make it and we will prevail, there is no option and there are happy moments.”

Café Picobella

Déon Fourie owns Café Picobella which is a likely spot on Fourth Avenue to find a water tanker if there is an outage.

“This is a problem that has been ongoing for years, it’s astounding. We used to have to carry buckets from tankers across the suburb until the amazing women in our kitchen managed to get us onto the list of locations which has been a game changer. Water is incredibly heavy to carry and I feel desperately sorry for those who walk with containers to flush toilets and other vital needs.”

He added they were blessed to have an incredible team who moved mountains to make sure they stayed open by trying to secure water and managing load-shedding schedules.

“They too have families to feed so shutting up shop is just not an option for them, and they fight like hell to mitigate the failings of the city.”

Johannesburg Water

The spokesperson for Johannesburg Water Nolwazi Dhlamini said, “The water situation is quite fluid as the systems constantly fluctuate. Peak hours such as the mornings when people are getting ready for the day and evenings when people come back from work is when water levels decrease again in reservoirs and towers because demand is usually higher. Hence, we publish daily systems updates twice a day to keep customers informed.”

When asked about the impact of pipe bursts and leaks, she said, “During the month of July, 4 273 water pipe bursts or leaks were reported, and in August, 3 975 were reported. These can lead to supply interruptions while repairs are made.”

Lastly, as we move into the warmer months which see a spike in consumption, she said, “Temperatures during spring and summer lead to high water consumption. Demand increases as water is used more often in warm weather and in higher quantities, therefore putting a strain on Johannesburg Water’s reservoirs and towers.”

Level 1

The city is currently under Level 1 annual water restrictions.

The following are prohibited between 06:00 and 18:00

• Watering of gardens
• Washing of paved areas and driveways using hose pipes
• Filling swimming pools
• Washing cars with a hose pipe.

Residents are encouraged to use greywater.

Related article:

Resident irate at city that is unable to provide him with a steady water supply

Few escaped the hardship that came with the Rand Water shutdown