Rubber Bullets Fired as Soshanguve Residents Protest Prolonged Water Shortages

• Police fired rubber bullets after residents of Soshanguve Block L barricaded roads with burning tyres and rocks while protesting prolonged water shortages
• Community members say weeks of repeated outages have disrupted daily life, as tensions escalated during the standoff with law enforcement.
• The incident ignited heated debate on social media, with users questioning alleged double standards in policing compared to recent protests in Melville and other parts of Johannesburg

PRETORIA- Police fired rubber bullets on Wednesday, 12 February 2026, as residents of Soshanguve Block L, north of Pretoria, took to the streets to protest ongoing water shortages in the area.

According to SABC News, demonstrators barricaded several roads with burning tyres and rocks, bringing traffic to a standstill as they demanded urgent intervention from authorities. Residents say they have endured repeated outages for weeks, with some households left without running water for extended periods.

Eyewitnesses reported heightened tensions as law enforcement moved in to disperse the crowd. Officers used rubber bullets after protesters allegedly refused to clear the roads. No immediate reports of serious injuries had been confirmed at the time of publication.

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Community members argue that the water disruptions have severely affected daily life, including access to basic sanitation, schooling and small businesses that rely on a stable water supply.

Social media weighs in on police action

The incident sparked debate on social media, where users questioned what they described as inconsistent policing. Many drew comparisons to protests in Melville and other parts of Johannesburg a day earlier, where residents also demonstrated, but no rubber bullets were reportedly used.

@Kane_GM9 remarked:

"But yesterday the 'Zuma Must Fall' group were protesting, and no one was shot with rubber bullets."

@StarJay_23 commented:

"The police apply double standards. They never use rubber bullets to shoot at other communities when they strike, but do not hesitate to shoot black communities."

@khangezileradeb stated:

"But you will never see rubber bullets when the zama zamas terrorise the community."

@KhunanaLebohang said:

"And the same police will be coming back to their houses without water and complaining. You have to be special to be a police officer."

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@GerhardPre31556 sarcastically wrote:

"The people who are complaining about something as trivial as water are becoming a real problem. Don’t they know the distribution points have now moved to the Johannesburg hotels?"

The water crisis has sparked protests across Gauteng, with some demonstrations joined by politicians and well-known public figures in South Africa.

Residents protest throughout the Gauteng province.

The DA's Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, joined residents protesting on Xavier Bridge south of Johannesburg on 12 February 2026. She said that corruption is the cause of the city's water crisis. Zille pledged solidarity with residents demanding running water in their taps. She sang with protesters and said the ongoing shortages are manmade due to corruption. She argued that water infrastructure failures stem from corruption in maintenance contracts.

The previous day, angry, frustrated and thirsty residents from Johannesburg’s Melville, Parktown West and Emmarentia suburbs took to the streets on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, to protest against a prolonged water outage. Residents are angry over the crisis that has brought daily life to a standstill. Carrying placards and chanting slogans, communities blockaded key intersections while passing motorists hooted in support of their demands for immediate intervention and honest communication from authorities.

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Lesufi apologises over 'hotel' comment.

Briefly news also reported that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi apologised after facing backlash for saying he had to use a hotel to bathe during Johannesburg’s ongoing water crisis. Lesufi remarked while addressing angry residents during a government visit to a reservoir in Brixton on Wednesday, 11 February 2026.

Lesufi said he also experiences water shortages and, in some instances, has gone to a hotel to wash before attending official commitments. He told the crowd that officials do not receive special treatment when taps run dry.

Source: Briefly News