--- title: "Melville residents have gone without water for over 20% of 2026 so far" description: "A protest on the streets of Melville on Friday, 14 August, was the latest outcry in response to a water crisis that residents say has become routine." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "‘KILLING US SOFTLY’" author: "Reitumetse Pilane" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reitumetse-pilane/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-14-melville-residents-have-gone-without-water-for-over-20-of-2026-so-far/" published: "2026-08-14T17:51:44" updated: "2026-08-14T17:52:42" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1160 --- # Melville residents have gone without water for over 20% of 2026 so far > A protest on the streets of Melville on Friday, 14 August, was the latest outcry in response to a water crisis that residents say has become routine. By Reitumetse Pilane · Published 14 August 2026, 19:51 SAST · Updated 14 August 2026, 19:52 SAST ## Key points - Melville residents protested on 14 August after days – in some cases weeks – without water; the Melville Residents Association says locals have endured 50+ outage days so far in 2026, more than 20% of the year. - Sewage flowed down 4th Avenue and businesses, from cafes to salons, reported chronic disruption and lost customers – water trucks rarely arrive, and some outlets have gone a month without supply. - Johannesburg Water data show the Commando system at just 45% (Hursthill 1 & 2 on bypass), leaving high-lying areas such as Melville vulnerable; July logged 281 throttling/outage incidents and the city lost 207 billion litres in 2025. - The crisis is citywide – February protests prompted ministerial visits but activists and WaterCAN accuse officials of denial; neighbouring Kensington East also flags reservoir swaps, delayed repairs and poor public consultation. ## Content On Friday, 14 August, frustrated Johannesburg residents took to the streets of Melville after days without water. Some residents told Daily Maverick the outage had lasted four days, while others said they had been without water for more than a week. “This is no longer a question of occasional service interruptions or an ageing system experiencing temporary pressure. What we are experiencing is a chronic and unacceptable failure of basic service delivery,” said the Melville Residents Association. By the time the protest ended, water had been restored in most of the areas where Daily Maverick spoke to residents. Residents have experienced more than 50 days without water so far this year, according to the Melville Residents Association, which works out to over 20% of the year’s 226 days to date. Freedom Ndlovu, who works as a car guard on 4th Avenue in Melville, pointed to sewage running down the street as he expressed his frustration with the crisis. ![Melville water outage cause sewage system to overflow](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/dqJTu1kmE0ixM7iuW4Gmixgb0IM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_9218_440703.jpg) *Sewage overflows in Melville’s 4th Avenue as prolonged water outages continue to affect various communities in Johannesburg. (Photo: Reitumetse Pilane)* “Things like this happen when there’s a shortage of water,” he said, describing the impact of the outages on surrounding businesses. “Customers can’t even flush the toilets. This thing is killing us softly,” Ndlovu said. The latest water-supply data from Johannesburg Water shows why Melville has been particularly vulnerable. On Friday, the Commando water system was operating at just 45% capacity, the lowest level among the systems shown in the City’s latest update, placing it in the “Supplying Fairly” category. The update specifically flags Hursthill 1 and 2 as remaining on bypass and warns that high-lying areas supplied by the system may experience low pressure or no water at times. Melville’s higher-lying areas are supplied via the Brixton Reservoir, which is linked to the same system. ### The toll on businesses Several business owners and employees said recurring water disruptions have affected their operations for years, while some said power outages have compounded the problem. Many business staff were reluctant or dismissive when approached for comment, saying that repeated complaints and media reports had done little to change the situation, with outages instead becoming more frequent or prolonged. Aza Wilfred, who has worked at the Urban Beauty Cafe salon on Main Road for more than a decade, said water outages have been affecting the business for years, disrupting basic services such as washing clients’ hair. Wilfred was among several business employees who told Daily Maverick that water trucks intended to alleviate the problem rarely arrive to deliver water. Friday’s outcry follows widespread water protests across [Johannesburg in February](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-18-despite-protests-and-promises-taps-are-still-dry-in-johannesburg/?dm_source=blocks-horizontal&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform&dm_position=15), where Melville, Parktown West and Brixton residents took to the streets after prolonged outages. The demonstrations prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to deploy Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to Johannesburg to urgently address the crisis. [Read more Ramaphosa deploys ministers before Sona to ‘urgently’ tackle Joburg’s water crisis February 12, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/iKPqDRXJSLvnaeAR2PaoKC1pZ2Q=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ANCCONFday1111.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-12-ramaphosa-deploys-ministers-before-sona-to-urgently-tackle-joburgs-water-crisis/) Chef Shepard Simango, who works at Reserve Café on 4th Avenue, expressed frustration at the ongoing disruptions and said water trucks often did not arrive. He said the longest outage at the café had lasted more than a month. Simango also criticised the lack of long-term solutions. “The last time there were protests in Melville, we got water, and the lights stayed on. A week later the outages started again,” Simango told Daily Maverick. He said the constant water and power cuts were not only affecting businesses directly but were also beginning to deter customers. When customers encountered dirty toilets that could not be flushed, he said, some became sceptical about whether the cafe met sanitary standards. “Some of our regulars aren’t coming as often. You ask them ‘why?’, and they say that they don’t feel comfortable leaving their homes because of the effect the outage is having on them,” he said. During July, Daily Maverick recorded 281 water-throttling and outage incidents, with the Sandton system the worst-hit. ![Reitumetse-water-outage](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ovGA9DTTcfEtcavDv-0_q0y2c8I=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DMWaterInfographic_262222.png) *Water throttling and outage incidents logged across Johannesburg Water’s supply network in July 2026. (Graphic: Kevin Momberg)* ### ‘Water and power take turns’ Hotel Hope Interiors employees Thabo Ndlovu and Augustine Mwakawoka told Daily Maverick that water and power outages had become the norm over the years, affecting them both as employees and as residents of the community. “The water and power take turns every day,” Mwakawoka said. “It’s like they’re in a toxic relationship,” Ndlovu added jokingly. The pair also run Hotel Hope Ministries children’s home in the community, which is affected by the constant power and water cuts. “Imagine? How do you make baby formula when there’s no water and electricity? How do you keep things hygienic?” Ndlovu said. “The water trucks come once in a blue moon. It’s unbelievable that anyone survives in this place,” Mwakawoka added. Melville’s problems are also playing out against a much wider deterioration in Johannesburg’s water infrastructure. Data from the Gauteng Water Security Dashboard shows an average of about 140 pipe leaks a day between June 2025 and June 2026. The scale of the problem is reflected in the City’s water losses. Johannesburg lost 207 billion litres of water in the 2025 financial year, while the City has spent R650-million on water tankers over the past five years. ![Reitumetse-water-outage](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/-DVM9qVuoKFA2iQQyn8S7dcqVPc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_9193_719917.jpg) *WaterCAN’s executive director Ferrial Adam joined frustrated Melville residents protesting against prolonged water outages on Friday, 14 August, 2026. (Photo: Reitumetse Pilane)* WaterCan executive director Ferrial Adam criticised what she described as state officials’ denial of the severity of Johannesburg’s water crisis. Johannesburg Water had not responded to Daily Maverick’s request for comment at the time of publication. ### Broken promises Melville is not the only Johannesburg community grappling with prolonged water interruptions. In Kensington East, residents have also raised concerns about prolonged supply failures following a switch between supply systems. A letter, dated 13 August, from the Water Crisis Committee to Johannesburg Water says the area was switched from the Yeoville Reservoir back to the Alexander Park Reservoir at the end of June, while Johannesburg Water repeatedly told residents that they remained on the Yeoville system until 11 August. [Read more Cold snap exposes the obvious — Joburg’s power grid can’t cope August 13, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/MtMa2tKRDnvzsrxER3aMLBaFkMs=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/JoburgElectricityCrisisFINAL-02_358654.png)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-13-cold-snap-exposes-the-obvious-joburg-s-power-grid-can-t-cope/) The committee has also raised concerns about delays to repairs at the Alexander Park Reservoir. It said repairs had not yet started and were expected to take at least a year. It also raised concerns about an interim bypass pump intended to support high-lying residents, saying it had remained at the technical-drawing stage. The letter also records residents’ concerns that the switch had not been accompanied by meaningful public participation, with residents saying they were either unaware of the meetings or unable to attend them. For residents and businesses, the water outages have also become part of a wider municipal service-delivery crisis. People speaking to Daily Maverick this week used each opportunity to raise complaints about other failing services, including power outages and a lack of rubbish collection. **DM**