What gives Morero confidence in the ANC after Joburg’s water cuts?
JOHANNESBURG — Mayor Dada Morero said 18 months of campaigning had given him confidence that Johannesburg voters would back the ANC in Wednesday’s municipal elections, even after some households went more than 10 days without water. Speaking after casting his special vote in Roodepoort on Tuesday, Morero pointed to the recovery of parts of Soweto’s water network that morning as evidence that the city’s interventions were beginning to work.
Morero said he had voted for the ANC and appealed to residents to turn out for the party on 4 November. He acknowledged that the past three weeks had been difficult but said the ANC’s support in the communities where it had campaigned remained strong. Water outages and low pressure have affected parts of Johannesburg since 19 October.
Reservoirs gain ground, but supply varies by neighbourhood
At a briefing on Monday, Morero said water storage across Johannesburg’s network had risen from 37% on Sunday to 41%. At household level, the picture was uneven. By Tuesday, he said supply had returned to Crown Gardens, Yeoville was still recovering and teams were monitoring parts of Soweto. He expected most of the affected areas he discussed to have water by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Morero said crews were adjusting flows to direct water towards struggling areas and releasing air trapped in pipes. Restoring pressure too quickly could empty reservoirs that had only begun to refill, he said. Residents could therefore still experience interruptions while storage levels improved.
The council elected on Wednesday will inherit a water network that loses about a third of its supply, according to Johannesburg Water’s annual report, cited by Reuters. Ageing infrastructure, burst pipes, leaks and illegal connections all contribute to those losses. For households in the last areas awaiting reconnection, the immediate test of Morero’s forecast will be whether water returns to their taps and stays on.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za or drop a tip.