Residents, community organisations and civil society groups across Johannesburg have united to demand urgent action to end the city’s deepening water crisis. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
Residents, community organisations and civil society groups across Johannesburg have united to demand urgent action to end the city’s deepening water crisis, which they describe as a “human rights and economic emergency”.
In a formal letter sent to mayor Dada Morero and other government officials this week, the coalition — representing dozens of civic and professional organisations — outlined eight urgent demands to restore accountability, transparency and dignity in the city’s water system.
“We are fed up,” the coalition said. “We have waited too long while our taps run dry. This is not just about water — it’s about respect, accountability and the right to live with dignity.”
On 1 November, the coalition will hold a peaceful protest outside the council chambers to call for better leadership and immediate action. The demonstration will include testimonies from affected residents, civil society leaders and technical experts, followed by an open call for Morero’s direct response to the demands.
Depending on the city’s response, the coalition said it would either escalate its campaign or forge a working relationship with officials to implement the proposals.
Constitutional violation
“Millions of Johannesburg residents are living without reliable access to water,” it warned. “Hospitals, schools and small businesses are being forced to operate without this most basic necessity. This is not just an infrastructure problem — it’s a violation of constitutional rights.”
The letter was issued by among others, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Climate Justice Coalition, Joburg Crisis Alliance, Professionals and Business for Change, Region F Civil Society Partnership, Rivonia Circle, Water Crisis Committee and WaterCAN.
The city’s water crisis, the letter states, has deepened into a human rights and economic emergency, crippling essential services, endangering public health and eroding public trust.
Despite repeated assurances and public commitments, there has been no significant improvement in water access, infrastructure performance or accountability, it said.
“The people’s right to water, enshrined in Section 27 of the Constitution, is being systematically violated through neglect, mismanagement and the diversion of public funds,” the signatories wrote.
While acknowledging that the city has blamed the crisis on factors such as ageing infrastructure, vandalism, load-shedding and insufficient funds, the coalition insisted that these are “mere excuses”.
“We believe there are solutions to stabilise the system based on Joburg Water’s turnaround strategy. We welcome and support the strategy, but we are concerned about the commitment of the city to implement it and the pace of its implementation,” the letter states.
“For this reason, we want greater transparency and the ability of civil society groups to monitor the process going forward.”
Ringfence water, sanitation funding
Among the coalition’s most urgent demands is the ringfencing of all water and sanitation funding by December.
Revenues from the sale of water, it argues, must be used solely for Joburg Water and related infrastructure — not redirected to other services. The group said the city’s current timeline of mid-2026 is “too late”, calling instead for a completed framework by year-end to enable early implementation in 2026.
Another major concern is the R4 billion “swept” from Joburg Water’s account by the city and reportedly not returned. “While the sweeping of municipal accounts is permitted under treasury rules, funds must be returned the next business day,” the letter notes. “The city’s failure to do so violates regulations and raises serious concerns.”
The coalition demands a full public accounting of the missing funds, evidence that unpaid contractors have been reimbursed and assurances that Joburg Water receives its full, council-approved budget.
Morero last month sought to clarify the “misleading claims” about Joburg Water’s R4 billion.
“It is important to reiterate that funds transferred through the sweeping process remain fully traceable, auditable and secure. The sweeping account does not represent a loss of control for any entity, as fiduciary responsibility remains with each entity’s board and executive management,” he said.
‘To provide context to the recent claims: an extract of Joburg Water’s sweeping account statement for July 2025 clearly shows that the account had an opening balance of approximately R4 billion at the beginning of the month.”
Despite daily inflows and outflows as part of normal operational activity and the sweeping process, a closing balance of R3.7 billion remained in the account as of 31 July 2025.
“This is consistent with how the sweeping mechanism operates and is evidence that the funds have not ‘disappeared’ as some have irresponsibly claimed.”
The Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, said it would submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act application over the R4 billion that was allegedly redirected from Johannesburg Water.
Track progress
The coalition has also called for public tracking of infrastructure repairs and expansion projects, including detailed progress reports on six reservoirs — HH2, Modder Hill, Meadowlands, Aeroton, Dunkeld and Crown Gardens — that were due to begin upgrades in mid-2025 and updates on the construction of five more. It wants a monthly public dashboard to track performance, repairs and expenditure to rebuild public trust.
Another key demand focuses on improving response times and reducing water losses. Nearly 44% of the city’s water is lost through leaks, burst pipes and theft. The coalition urged Johannesburg Water to honour its pledge to halve repair times from 48 to 24 hours and to establish district-based rapid-response units by January, with monthly statistics published on callouts and repairs.
The billing system has also come under fire. With revenue collection at just 82% — far below the treasury’s benchmark of 95% — many residents face exorbitant bills, even during prolonged water outages.
The coalition highlighted the problem of “air billing”, where throttling causes air to pass through meters, generating false readings. It demands a full investigation, immediate correction of billing anomalies and fair adjustments to affected accounts.
End water tankers
The civil society groups also called for independent oversight and formal inclusion in water governance.
“There is growing awareness and involvement of ordinary people in the affairs of the City of Johannesburg,” the letter notes. “Civil society has been playing an important role — monitoring access, exposing corruption, testing water quality and ensuring that communities get water during long outages.”
The coalition proposed a single water forum with equal representation from civil society, community leaders, government and business to ensure public access to data, monitor progress and promote co-governance. They recommended restructuring the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group on Water and Sanitation to reflect this shared model and commit to quarterly report-backs to residents.
The coalition further condemned the city’s growing reliance on water tankers, calling it “unacceptable” and “a failure of governance”. Tankers, it said, were meant as an emergency measure, not a substitute for reliable piped water.
“Johannesburg residents will not accept a future where access to clean water depends on who controls the tankers.”
It demanded a clear plan to phase out tanker dependence, the publication of all tanker contracts and costs, a transparent accounting of tanker expenditure over the past three years and swift investigations into corruption. The letter calls for the city to budget and schedule the installation of piped water in low-income areas and informal settlements.
To restore confidence, the coalition urged a reform of Johannesburg Water’s board to ensure transparency, representation and expertise.
It called for open appointment processes, term limits to prevent political interference and the inclusion of representatives from civil society, labour, business and technical sectors. Board members should be subject to skills and integrity assessments and publish regular performance and expenditure reports.
Finally, the coalition appealed for national and provincial intervention.
“The right to clean, reliable water is not negotiable — it is a constitutional and moral obligation,” it said.
“Johannesburg’s water crisis is no longer a local problem — it is a national emergency requiring coordinated intervention.”