For nearly a month, residents of Bhongolwethu Location in the Chris Hani district have been struggling with severe water shortages which have left households without reliable access to one of the most basic human needs.
For people with disabilities, the situation has been especially harsh.
Zoleka Dywili, a 48-year-old woman living with a physical disability, says the prolonged disruption has stripped her of dignity and threatened her health.
Dywili lives in a small rented house and is mostly alone. Her adult daughter only visits during school holidays.
She depends solely on her disability grant and her limited mobility makes it difficult for her to collect or carry water.
“I struggle to walk properly because of my right leg. When the water is finished, I cannot go anywhere,” she said.
With her daughter away for most of the year, Dywili faces the daily struggle of coping with no water on her own.
Simple tasks such as cooking, washing and cleaning become nearly impossible. Without a water tank, she cannot store water when the taps briefly run.
Bhongolwethu has experienced periodic water interruptions for years, linked to ageing infrastructure, pump failures and inconsistent supply across the Chris Hani district.
Residents say outages have become a normal part of life, but the recent shortage, which left taps dry for most households, has pushed many into desperation.
Some families have gone days without being able to cook, wash or flush toilets.
Dywili says the burden on vulnerable residents is unacceptable.
“When money finishes, I have to ask for a loan to pay the people fetching me water,” she said.
“Living without water while living with a disability is taking away my dignity.”
When water runs out, she cannot walk long distances to fetch it. Her daughter must handle all domestic tasks, adding stress to a household already battling poverty.
Other residents say they feel abandoned by authorities.
Siphokazi Gaga, also from Bhongolwethu, says the month-long shortage has deepened frustration.
“It’s been almost a month now without water in our community.
“We were promised that our taps would run ‘soon’, but that promise has not been kept.”
Gaga says there are parts of the village are receiving water, which makes others feel sidelined.
“It makes us feel neglected and not part of the society,” she said.
Residents say they are paying young boys to fetch water from the river, using money from social grants that were meant for food and electricity.
“We pay for this using our social grants, which are already not enough. Then we end up without food when the money is finished,” Gaga said.
When asked about the cause of the disruption, Chris Hani district municipality spokesperson Thobeka Mqamelo confirmed that the water outage resulted from internal labour-related challenges at a water plant.
“A dispute between security personnel and their company resulted in disruption of water services in the area from November 21 until Tuesday December 9,” Mqamelo said.
She added that the system was now stabilising.
“Operations in the plant are in full swing and normal pumping operations resumed Tuesday afternoon.”
However, she said some areas would need more time to receive full supply.
“Some areas are yet to get water as reservoirs are gradually recharging to an acceptable capacity to enable full distribution as they have been empty,” she said.
Mqamelo said municipal teams were checking the system for faults.
“The technical team is patrolling the lines to identify and rectify challenges, such as pipe bursts that normally occur when the pipeline has been inoperational.”
To support households still without supply, the municipality has deployed a water tanker.
“A water cart has been arranged to service areas that are not getting the service yet.”
For Dywili, the commitment offers some relief, but she says the real fix must be long-term.
She wants a consistent water supply and a household tank to ensure she can survive future interruptions.
“We need reliable access to water, especially for people who cannot fetch it far from home.
“I am asking the municipality to help us so we can live with dignity.”
Daily Dispatch
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