Johannesburg residents are effectively living through a “Day Zero” scenario, with mounting water outages prompting calls for the government to declare a state of disaster to prevent further disruption.
The warning comes from the Water Communication Activity Network (WaterCAN) and the Water Forum, as the city continues to grapple with widespread and recurring supply interruptions.
More than 20 significant disruptions have been recorded over the past two weeks alone, leaving many communities without reliable access to water.
WaterCAN representative Belseck said the crisis is being fuelled by failing infrastructure, inadequate planning and poor accountability, describing the situation as unsustainable for both residents and businesses.
“What becomes crucial is that we’re now at a place where we must call on the authorities to really call this what it is… a national disaster,” Belseck said. “Johannesburg is the economic heart of Africa, and expecting it to function without consistent water access normalises the suffering of residents and signals a failure of governance.”
He added that stronger coordination across all levels of government is urgently needed to stabilise the system.
“We need better enforcement of coordination between spheres of government, and that should compel transparent communication from both Johannesburg Water and Rand Water,” he said.
With taps running dry in several areas, pressure is mounting on authorities to act decisively because for many households, water shortages are no longer occasional inconveniences but part of daily life.