Fuming Lenasia South Residents Pelt Police With Rocks, Upset That Illegal Water Connections Are Cut

Fuming Lenasia South Residents Pelt Police With Rocks, Upset That Illegal Water Connections Are Cut

  • Joburg Water disconnected illegal connections in the Phumla Mqashi area in Lenasia South
  • Angry community members blocked roads in the area and threw rocks at police officers
  • Residents slammed Joburg Water's actions, questioning how they were supposed to survive
Routes were blocked in Phumla Mqashi in Lenasia South as residents looted passing trucks.
Fuming Phumla Mqashi residents in Lenasia South threw rocks at police, blocked roads in the area and looted passing trucks after Joburg Water cut all illegal connections. Image: @JoburgMPD/ @Nhleiks5.
Source: Twitter

Residents of Phumla Mqashi in Lenasia South are furious with Joburg Water and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).

Residents were fuming after Joburg Water and the JMPD disconnected all illegal connections in the area.

Officials went into the area in the morning and cut off all connections, leaving residents with no water.

Residents attempt to stop JMPD from leaving

Tensions started to boil over when JMPD officers attempted to leave the area.

Furious residents barred the roads with rocks to prevent the vehicles from exiting the area and then started to throw rocks at police when officers tried to stop them.

Police, in turn, started firing rubber bullets at protestors in a bid to dispel them.

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Residents loot passing trucks

The situation didn’t die down there. Residents took to the streets to block routes and even loot passing vehicles.

Police were called into action once more after residents attempted to loot a truck carrying alcohol.

Tensions were high as residents refused to back down, saying they would only return to their homes if the water was reconnected.

Community members unhappy with Joburg Water

Community members who spoke to the media following the protests voiced their disgust with Joburg Water and its decision to cut water to the area.

Many voiced frustrations with the lack of prior warning, while others questioned how they would survive without water.

Gugu Manana, an ANC representative in the area, was more critical of the decision to cut the water, describing Joburg Water as evil.

“Joburg Water, they have a criminal strategy. They want to see the community killing each other. So, they were sent by someone somewhere,” she said.

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A looming major water crisis

Ageing infrastructure, mismanagement, and climate change have affected SA's water supply.

As more areas experience water restrictions, many fear that the country is nearing Day Zero.

Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Kate Stubbs, the Marketing Director at Interwaste, broke down the threat the country faces.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Byron Pillay avatar

Byron Pillay (Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 11 years covering a wide variety of news as a community journalist, including politics, crime and current affairs. He also was a Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za