Communities demand Water Minister Majodina shift focus from illegal connections to leaks

‘When will all the water pipes be fixed, Minister Majodina? Stop blaming people,” a petition from frustrated grassroots communities across Johannesburg implored Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and local water authorities.

Addressed to Majodina and Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai, the petition calls for immediate action to fix thousands of leaking pipes, meters, and valves – the main contributors to water losses in Joburg – and to stop pointing a finger at vulnerable communities.

Residents fill up with drinking water at a neighbour’s borehole in Phumla Mqashi informal settlement. (Photo: Julia Evans)

The petition follows a meeting on 17 January 2025 in Freedom Park, in Johannesburg’s south, where more than 30 civic organisations met to discuss Johannesburg’s deepening water crisis. The process culminated in a widely attended workshop in early February, led by Civic Action for Democracy and Equality (Cade), a newly formed coalition of township and informal settlement civic groups in Gauteng.

Cade, co-initiated by the Human Rights Media Trust and the Legal Resources Centre, represents several civic structures, primarily from townships and informal settlements in Johannesburg.

Shifting the narrative

Residents argue that failing infrastructure – and not excessive consumption – is the real driver of the crisis.

“The crux of the petition to shift the narrative away from blaming the poor and the citizens of Johannesburg, to actually looking at the real problem – where 46% of their water is lost, [exacerbated by] ageing infrastructure, lack of investment and so on,” said Rehad Desai, chairperson of the Human Rights Media Trust, a part the Cade coalition.

Johannesburg Water’s non-revenue water (NRW) rate for the 2023/24 financial year stood at a staggering 46%. This means that for every 100 litres of treated drinking water Joburg Water buys from Rand Water, 46 litres are lost before generating revenue.

Read more: With a R27bn infrastructure upgrades backlog, Joburg Water takes financial reins back from city

The breakdown of NRW reveals that the biggest contributor is physical losses – pipe bursts and leaks – which account for 26% of total water losses. 

Authorised but unbilled consumption (such as water used for firefighting, main flushing, and free basic water services) makes up 11.7%, while commercial losses – including billing errors, meter inaccuracies and illegal connections – account for 9.7%.

Notably, illegal connections from informal settlements make up just 2.1% of total losses.

Despite this, Joburg Water launched a mass disconnection programme targeting informal settlements in November 2024, sparking outrage from civil society groups.

“With 25% of water loss in the city due to leaks, the primary focus should be on fixing them,” said Ferrial Adam, the executive manager of WaterCAN, an initiative of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, which supports the petition.

“Instead, attention is on informal settlements, deepening mistrust between residents, the city and Joburg Water.”

Read more: Water everywhere but not a drop to drink — how unchecked leaks exacerbate Johannesburg’s water crisis

“The City of Johannesburg needs to urgently fix the leaks often seen with piles of clean and treated water in holes and inflows throughout the city,” said the petition.

“Moreover, the City of Johannesburg should not be allowed to promote the narrative that communities that use water for basic needs such as drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing are wasting water.”

Each qualifying household is entitled to 6,000 litres a month as part of the free basic water policy, equating to 25 litres per person daily for essential use (drinking, cooking and hygiene).

Petition demands

The petition calls on Minister Majodina to:

• Provide a clear plan and timeline for fixing leaks across the city, with fortnightly progress updates.


• Repair the thousands of leaking meters, burst pipes, faulty valves and leaking fire hydrants.


• Ensure the City of Johannesburg collects adequate revenue from high-water-use sectors such as mining and large-scale commercial agriculture.


• Implement stricter water regulations for affluent suburbs and golf courses that use excessive amounts for irrigation and swimming pools.

“We will continue campaigning on this because we’ve seen what happened with electricity load shedding – non-paying areas were the hardest hit,” said Desai. “The same thing is happening with water shedding. Most townships are now getting just two or three hours of water a day – if they’re lucky.”

Informal settlements bear the brunt 

The petition highlights that low-income communities in informal settlements and townships are disproportionately affected by water cuts. Communities in Freedom Park, Slovo Park, Jackson, Phumla Mqashi, Meadowlands, Fleurhof, Thembalihle and various townships in the Vaal are among those behind the petition.

Residents report going without water for up to five days a week. Children are forced to fetch water from distant locations, often missing school. In some areas, water trucks do not reach all sections, leaving many without access to clean water.

“We don’t want the poor to be more adversely affected than they already are,” said Desai.

A 2022 social audit by Atlantic Fellows examined conditions in Freedom Park and Eikenhof informal settlements in Johannesburg. The report found that many settlements were severely underserviced, with little to no access to basic water and sanitation. This lack of infrastructure led to community conflicts, worsened health risks and left residents struggling to meet basic needs.

Lindelani Settlement, one of the 12 informal settlement pockets audited, has existed for nine years. It relies on just 10 water tanks, which are refilled twice a week, to serve a population of 1,800 people. This provides each resident with an average of only 10.9 litres of water a day – less than half of the 25-litre minimum required by the Free Basic Water Policy.

A woman carries water back home after collecting it from JoJo tanks in the Phumla Mqashi informal settlement. (Photo: Julia Evans)

“We don’t have water at all during the day,” Peter Monethe, coordinator at the Abahlali-Base Freedom Park organisation and a resident of Freedom Park in Soweto.

“So, every day we have to wake up early in the morning or at midnight to fill up the buckets with water so we can use the water during the day.”

Monethe said that since October 2024, water had only been available at night, from around 8pm to 4am.

Freedom Park is a mixed-development area, with RDP housing alongside expanding informal settlements – many of which lack running water, adequate water tanks or enough communal taps.

Monethe said that when residents returned home from work between 6pm and 7pm  – travelling from central Joburg, Germiston, Sandton and Kempton Park.

“They finish work around 5pm, get home by six or 7pm, and the first thing they have to do is queue at a water tank to fill their buckets. If the water runs out before they get a chance, their only option is to wake up at midnight to try again.”In areas such as Lindelani, where only a few communal taps exist, residents must wait until 8pm – sometimes even 10pm – before venturing out to collect water.

“I mean, you can imagine the issue of crime, the issue of violence against women and children,” Monethe said.  That’s where also the thugs are taking advantage of the vulnerability of the community itself.”

When asked how his community feels about this, he said, “Sometimes our communities don’t have any choice. However, we just have to accept whatever is given to us.” 

The petition says it stands in solidarity with these communities, and that “enough is enough.” DM

To report a leak contact your  ward councillor or report to Joburg Water:

Online: jwfaultlogging.jwater.co.za

Call Centre: 011 688 1699 / 086 0562874

SMS: 45201

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

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