Lenasia South braces for shutdown as water crisis reaches boiling point

Residents of the Phumlamqashi Informal Settlement in Unaville, Lenasia South, are planning a massive shutdown on Monday, March 3.

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The shutdown will affect all operations on all roads in Phumlamqashi, the main road (Golden Highway), and Lenasia South on Sheffield Road.

The shutdown is a desperate attempt by the community to voice their grievances over the lack of water services in their area. The community has been struggling with water outages since Johannesburg Water disconnected its illegal connections in 2024, leaving their taps dry.

Despite several protests, the issue persists. In an attempt to alleviate the situation, JoJo tanks were brought into the area on November 14, 2024.

However, the residents claim that the water from these tanks is never enough for the whole population.

In preparation for the shutdown, community leader, Mavenda advised all businesses to close from morning until 2pm on March 3 to avoid any damage or disruptions. “The purpose of this shutdown is to demonstrate our community’s concerns and deliver a memorandum to the Office of the President,” he explained.

Meanwhile, vandalism of Johannesburg Water’s (JW) infrastructure has begun. On Tuesday, February 25, the JW woke up to find vandalised infrastructure at the inlet that supplies the Lenasia Hospital Hill, High Level, and Cosmos reservoirs.

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This vandalism has left several areas, including Lenasia, Lenasia South, Vlakfontein, Lehae, Zakaria Park, and Magson Manor, without water. The damage is impacting the recovery of the Lenasia water system, and damage assessments and urgent repairs are currently ongoing.