‘It's a nightmare’: Soshanguve residents open up about water shortages

Frustrated Soshanguve residents have opened up on the nightmare of going day to day with little to no water over the past few weeks.

Parts of the northern Tshwane township, much like many areas in Gauteng, have faced crippling water shortages in recent weeks as a result of infrastructure challenges, power outages and high water consumption during the recent heatwave.

The City of Tshwane’s utility services MMC Daryl Johnston said water supply had been restored to most affected areas earlier in the week, with a few high-lying areas such as Soshanguve confirmed to get a steady supply by the end of Wednesday.

When residents of Block L opened their taps on Wednesday night, there was a trickle of water — but it only lasted a few hours.  

The block was among the hardest hit sections in the township, with some experiencing shortages for four weeks.

Resident Omolemo Mogolego confirmed this, saying they had a bit of water for a few hours on Wednesday night.

“Last night we had water between 9pm and 12am so I’m assuming that the people who knew about it or who got the communication [like me] did what they had to do.

“The water didn’t really come back, it was just dripping,” he added.

By Thursday morning, it was back to square one, with the taps running dry again.

For Mogolego and his neighbours, the issue started in mid-January when the steady supply they were used to trickled to little to no water. Residents made do with this limited supply, believing it was a minor issue that was affecting the entire township.

However, things worsened last week, according to Mogolego, when the local clinic, schools and small businesses were also hit. This sparked protests that saw fed-up residents barricade roads and chase away city officials sent to help.

The 33-year-old shared what life was like without running water. 

“It was a nightmare, it felt like there are no people in authority ... you know, you can't even call South Africa a developing state [based on] such an ordeal. It would be a lie,” he said.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the water shortages had greatly affected elderly people who visited the local clinic.

He said his grandmother was unable to collect her chronic medication on Thursday because the clinic had to be closed for a week as a result of the water shortages.

“This water issue is a problem ... we never experienced such things growing up,” he said.

“We need to have a plan ... we can't keep on protesting because the more we burn the roads, the more we create potholes which the municipality [won't be able to fix].”

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