Drops of dirty tap water, school toilets infested with worms, businesses running dry and thirst.  

This is the reality facing residents of Ekangala in Bronkhorstspruit, Tshwane, who have been without water for more than three months as a result of a broken water pump at the water treatment plant. 

The area is part of three townships in the far east of Pretoria that have not had consistent water supply since 2023.

Residents have been protesting since the beginning of the week and on Wednesday, they shut down the area, barring children from going to school.

They said areas in low-lying areas had drops of water at about 2am but it was dirty and unfit for consumption.

Tshepiso Letswalo, a grade 12 pupil at Ekangala Engineering School of Specialisation and Mining, said the school’s 16 toilets were smelly, full of waste and were infested with worms. 

He said this forced the school management to release pupils early, limiting the teaching and learning time. 

“It was the first time I saw worms coming out of the toilet. It is unbearable. You have to wait to go home to use the toilet but even there, there is no water to flush.  

“For the past two weeks, we have been released from school just after lunch time which starts at 11.30am. So we would attend a few classes, eat and then leave.” 

While some places in this community received inconsistent water drops every now and again, sections such as Godgeville, Section D, Police View and eMachoki are in high lying areas and get hardly get a drop. 

This has affected businesses that are highly reliant on water supply.

The Ma Mali Laundromat in Godgeville specialises in industrial laundry. 

Owner Xoliswa Ma-awu said she uses about 500 litres of water a day to wash heavy duty clothing such as overalls for industrial companies. 

She sources water from neighbouring areas that might have water to keep her business afloat. 

“We use buckets to fill the machine which takes time. This in turn affects my turnaround time for my clients. I take five days to sometimes wash laundry that would ordinarily take me three days. When I tell my clients that I do not have water, they take their laundry elsewhere.  

“I have already lost domestic clients because of the water situation. On top of that, we are also faced with load shedding. You’re a service provider.  Your customers want services not excuses. Small business will never thrive in the townships,” Ma-awu said. 

She also needs water to use an industrial presser to iron clothes.

“It is a nightmare. I usually invoice weekly, but I cannot because of the delay in delivery. This means less money for me and my business suffers.”  

Residents said water tankers only come twice a week which often causes a fight among them as there are people who want to fill up containers for days of supply.  

Families are also forced to buy water to cook and drink.

Thapelo Masemola’s family buys water from a local business and he says 20lt lasts a week for a family of five.

“We then have to go around other areas like in town where they have water and ask that they share with us,” he said. 

At a nearby salon, owner Amos Tembe filled multiple buckets with water to keep his business afloat. 

“I cannot wash my towels and that is not ideal for the hygiene of my clients. Some even walk out. I have to use water sparingly but the nature of my business needs sufficient water to rinse and wash hair,” he said.  

“Customers are not happy about this and it means I lose them. I had to close the salon for some hours to go and source water.” 

Some residents who get drops of water every now and again keep their gates open to allow those without water to refill their container.

Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the shortage has been caused by a series of breakdowns at the water treatment plant. He said two pumps at the treatment plant had broken down, affecting the supply of water.

“These pumps would break down and we would repair them but we have realised that they need to be replaced. The pumps will be repaired as a short-term solution while we procure new pumps,” he said. 

“It is important to note that the procurement process takes about 14 days and this also depends of the availability of the pumps. But we assure the affected residents that our priority is to restore water.” 

The city said the deadline to fix the pump is next Friday but Bokaba said residents should start seeing a pickup in the water pressure as the reservoirs should have adequate water supply by next week Wednesday. 

“We urge community leaders and residents to allow these tankers to operate unhindered as they serve as a crucial lifeline for those in need. We urge the community to remain patient as we work diligently to resolve this issue.” 

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za