Despite repeated promises from all levels of government that their water issues will be resolved soon, residents of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, say that looks like a long pipe dream, and they have lost all hope.
In Kanana, with schools closed and taps still dry, residents — young and old — can be seen walking along dusty gravel roads, some clutching buckets, others pushing wheelbarrows, all in search of clean water.
The fear of another cholera outbreak haunts the community, as residents are forced to rely on alternative water sources due to ongoing issues with contaminated tap water.
In 2023 the area was hit by a devastating cholera outbreak, which claimed the lives of more than 20 people and left hundreds hospitalised. Despite repeated promises of fixing the problem, from both the national and local government, very little has been done, and residents say they have not seen any improvement. Their frustration is mounting as the water crisis persists.
Maria Baloyi, a resident of Kanana, said she walks for about 30 minutes each day, pushing a wheelbarrow to collect water from a community centre near Celester's Children’s Home. She wakes up as early as 5am to make the trip, hoping to find water before it runs out. But not every day is successful.
“Some mornings I’m lucky and get water. Other days, I return home empty-handed and have to try again later in the day,” she said.
Baloyi said she sometimes makes the journey twice a day and collects up to six buckets just to meet her family’s basic needs.
“I’m here now to collect what I can before they close. I have a lot of laundry, but I can’t wash. The water is only for using the toilet and bathing. I’ve been collecting water since 6am and my body is tired. I’m exhausted,” she complained.
She added that the water from the taps has never been consistently clean.
“It was clean once, a long time ago, but that didn’t last. Since then, it’s been dirty again. I don’t believe we’ll ever have clean water again,” Baloyi said.
Baloyi explained that the tap water is only suitable for flushing toilets and general cleaning, not for drinking or cooking.
She noted that the school holidays are making the situation worse.
“The children are at home all day, and that means more water is needed. It’s too much sometimes,” she said.
Just a few houses away from Baloyi, lives Lillian Chiloane who told TimesLIVE Premium she had spent a few days without water as the tanker had not come.
The 57-year-old, who was also collecting water when she spoke to TimesLIVE Premium, said the struggle for water was making her health worse as the trips to find water were strenuous.
“They bring water tankers, but it can come once a week, and sometimes they sell the water. When we go to collect, they push us around and we come back without water. If you enter our house, it does not smell good — the toilets stink,” she said.
One drum and two buckets last her a day.
“We cook and bathe with my grandchildren and flush the toilet. It's a problem. The schools are closed, and the children are at home; the laundry is overwhelming,” she said.
She said she has lost hope of ever getting clean water in the area.
The dirty water from the taps dried up on June 27 when Temba Water Treatment Plant was shut down.
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Mpho, a 48-year-old resident who asked to be identified by first name only, expressed the frustration shared by many in the community as the water problems persist.
“The water tanker comes to its own special spot on its own time. This time they said the water will come back after 14 days. We don't know if it will come back clean or the same dirty way. The taps are dry — the only temporary water we have is from the trucks. The water in the taps is still dirty, it's undrinkable. In the whole of Kanana, the water is undrinkable. When the water car does not come to deliver we have to make plans,” he said.
The man, who has a wife and five children, is forced to buy water.
“Right now when I need 20l of water I have to pay R5 and I have a family of seven. I buy a bottle for R5, and I have to use the toilet, cook, bath, what if I am not working? The money which I have to buy food I use it to buy water, how long does a 20l last for seven people?” Mpho said.
He believes that the wait of more than seven years for clean water is too much for Hammanskraal residents.
Chris Tsane, the owner of Ngobeni salon, said he has to buy water to wash his customers’ hair. “We buy water, I sometimes spend R70 a day on the water. A 20-litre bucket is R8. I end up losing my profit because I have to spend on water,” he said.
He said though water tankers are sometimes supplied, it is never enough for the whole community.
In June the City of Tshwane was forced to shut down Temba Water Treatment Plant due to sewerage flowing into the Apies River, which feeds into the Leeukraal Dam, the primary water source for the plant.
Last week the city informed residents that the plant had resumed operations following successful repairs to a damaged sewer pipe.
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