Joe Slovo residents queue for water

People have to stand in long queues to collect water at one central tap early in the morning and then again in the evenings.

Residents said the standpipes situated around the informal settlement were often turned off, “sometimes for three days at a time” when the Housing Development Agency (HDA) worked on pipes in the area.

A number of the taps have also been vandalised.

“There are seven people in my home, so they send me to fill a big bucket about three times a day. Sometimes we have to wait very long if there are a lot of people,” said 19-year-old resident Mpumelelo Genu.

The central tap is a few metres from his home.

Genu said his family were often left without water when he wasn’t home during the day.

“The bucket is too heavy for my mother to carry when it’s full. They have to wait for me to come home to fetch the water to cook,” he said.

Another resident, Nomaza Nctloyi, said six people lived in her small two-room shack and needed larger amounts of water.

“I don’t work, so I do most of my washing (of clothes) and cooking during the day. The water goes off for a few hours a day. For the people who work, this can be really bad. The lines usually start before people need to go to work in the morning and then again when they must make food around 5pm. On weekends it’s worse, because most people are at home,” she said.

HDA is building hundreds of new homes in the area as part of the N2 Gateway housing development project. The project is expected to be completed by December 2018.

A young man waits to fill his buckets at a communal tap at Joe Slovo. Picture by Masixole Feni.

In an emailed response to questions, HDA spokesperson Kate Shand denied that the agency was responsible for the water being switched off in the area.

“The Joe Slovo project has always been a complex one as it requires the demolition of shacks and preparation of land before the construction of fixed housing can occur. It is deeply unfortunate that a small group of residents choose – despite extensive consultation – to delay ongoing improvements to the area.”

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services Ernest Sonnenberg, however, said the interruptions to the water supply were most likely due to HDA’s construction activities.

“The City has met with the HDA and instructed them to advise the Water and Sanitation Department. We have instructed them to inform us in advance when they need to cut the water so we can tell the community to prepare for the shortage,” he said.

Sonnenberg said all vandalised taps in the area had been repaired this week.

“The City will be discussing positioning new and additional standpipes(taps) with the Community on site later (today),” he said.

The walk to the communal tap in Joe Slovo. Picture by Masixole Feni.