Parts of eastern Johannesburg have been left without running water for up to three weeks, forcing residents in areas such as Kensington, Bezuidenhout Valley, and Bruma to rely on buckets and bathtubs to meet basic needs.
The prolonged outage has sparked mounting frustration among locals, many of whom say the issue is not new. Despite repeated assurances from authorities about planned infrastructure upgrades, residents claim meaningful improvements have yet to materialise.
“This has been going on for years,” said one resident. “Every time we’re told the system will be fixed, but we’re still hauling water like it’s the 19th century.”
While the City of Johannesburg has yet to provide an updated timeline for full restoration, community members are calling for urgent action, saying their patience has long run dry.