City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has admitted that residents who have not had water at all are in “day zero”, and on Wednesday, an angry resident confronted him about the crisis.
Morero was addressing the media at the Brixton Water Reservoir as the city battles dry taps and leaking pipes that have contributed to Joburg’s latest water woes as it teeters on the brink of day zero.
Angry and frustrated residents took to the streets in various parts of the city, including Melville, Parktown West, Mayfair, Greenside, Parkview and Emmarentia, which have been without water for nearly 20 days.
ALSO READ: Joburg residents ‘effectively living under day zero conditions’
Day zero
Morero said the City of Johannesburg is taking decisive action to stabilise the water supply network and reduce consumption through what it called a “comprehensive, multifaceted Water Demand Management programme.”
“For people [who] have not had water at all, logically it would mean that they are in a day zero. So we need to make sure that we look at those areas, sort those areas that have been adversely affected and ensure that we can keep up.
“I think the weather is also existing in terms of the heat wave, and people are consuming more water,” Morero said.
Angry resident
Morero, who was frustrated by the noise before addressing the media, was confronted by an unnamed angry Brixton resident amid the city’s ongoing water crisis on Wednesday.
The man demanded that Morero address his concerns, claiming that the mayor was only there for a “photo opportunity”.
“You can smell me. I haven’t had water for 24 days. But that apart, it’s been a year that we don’t have water at night…Brixton, right here behind me.”
Water time
Asked by Morero what time he received water, the resident claimed it was intermittent.
“Water arrives at 6 o’clock in the morning, and by 5 o’clock in the afternoon, if we have water, it’s a trickle in the daytime, we can’t fill the geyser at night, [sic].”
Despite the tense exchange, Morero attempted to calm the resident, vowing to engage directly with affected communities and address their concerns.
A Brixton resident demanding that Joburg mayor Dada Morero addresses water problems that have hit parts of the city. He said he has not had consistent water supply for a year and was not been able to bath on some days.
Video: @Koena_xM pic.twitter.com/IU3dEa2Jhq– Sowetan (@Sowetan1981) February 11, 2026
Major leaks
The current crisis is a far cry from the city’s tagline, “World-class African City”.
Meanwhile, major water leaks across Johannesburg continue to persist.
On Monday, Johannesburg DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille shared a video on her Instagram account in which she is seen sitting on the edge of a massive hole, cooling her legs in a pool of water from a burst pipe.
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