Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has apologised to residents of Johannesburg for not having water for almost two weeks.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has apologised to thousands of Johannesburg residents enduring prolonged water outages, warning that officials could face consequences as they try to restore supply after some communities spent 10 days without water.
Lesufi made the commitment during an update on the city's worsening water supply challenges, alongside Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, councillors and other officials.
Acknowledging the hardship facing affected households, the premier said interventions were underway to get water flowing again, adding that accountability would follow once the immediate crisis had been addressed.
“In apologising to those that are going through difficulties, and I want to assure them with the intervention that they've made now, water will start to flow,” Lesufi said.
He also indicated that disciplinary consequences were being considered, although no decisions had yet been announced.
“We need to be held accountable and whether the heads will roll, it's a matter that is on our agenda… it's on our table, and we'll be in a position to deal with it as soon as this matter is finalised,” he said.
Lesufi stressed that restoring water to affected communities remained the government's immediate priority, with other outstanding matters to be addressed afterwards.
“Our priority for now is to ensure that there's no community without water. All other things will be attended immediately after we've restored water in our province,” he said.
For families in affected communities, the water shortage has become more than an inconvenience.
Cooking, cleaning and maintaining basic sanitation have become daily struggles, leaving residents questioning how long they must endure life without a reliable water supply.
However, Morero said there were signs of improvement following intensified interventions by Joburg Water, which had reported an increase in the city's overall system capacity.