By: Natasha Archary

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng refuses to accept Rand Water’s failures any longer.
This as tens of thousands of taps are still dry across Gauteng amid the 1-month maintenance programme that the bulk water supplier is undertaking.
In a statement, DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, Solly Msimanga said it is evident the state-owned entity is unable to provide the essential service that it was established for, as Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Mogale City remain without water.
“While we commend the infrastructure maintenance programme the entity has been running over the past few weeks, it might be too little too late.
In March of 2024 failures at Eikenhof Pump Station resulted in several weeks of dry taps across Gauteng. How have we come to accept this as a new normal? The powerhouse of the South African economy experiences water shortages at every turn.
Currently, Rand Water offer
smunicipalities crisis management in the form of an insufficient amount of roaming water tankers as the solution to their failures. This slapstick approach to the province’s water crisis is what allows power outages, like the one at Zwartkopjes Booster Pumping Station, to endanger lives, dry up our taps, and in doing so confirm that the problems are obviously deeper than what the executive has let on.”
Not only are taps in households running dry, but emergency services, specifically fire brigade stations are left without water to fill their tankers. Fire hydrants are also left dry during the highveld’s fire season endangering lives and properties.
The DA calls for urgent action which must include a water indaba with all crucial stakeholders.
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