WATCH: ‘You can smell me, I haven’t had water for 24 days’ – angry resident confronts Morero over water crisis

Picture: Screengrab City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has admitted that residents who have not had water at all are in “day zero”, and on Wednesday, an angry resident confronted him about the crisis. Morero was addressing the media at the Brixton Water Reservoir as the city battles dry taps and leaking pipes that have contributed to Joburg’s latest water woes as it teeters on the brink of day zero. Angry and frustrated residents took to the streets in various parts of the city, including Melville, Parktown West, Mayfair, Greenside, Parkview and Emmarentia, which have been without water for nearly 20 days.

Morero said the City of Johannesburg is taking decisive action to stabilise the water supply network and reduce consumption through what it called a “comprehensive, multifaceted Water Demand Management programme.” “I think the weather is also existing in terms of the heat wave, and people are consuming more water,” Morero said. Morero, who was frustrated by the noise before addressing the media, was confronted by an unnamed angry Brixton resident amid the city’s ongoing water crisis on Wednesday. The man demanded that Morero address his concerns, claiming that the mayor was only there for a “photo opportunity”.

“You can smell me. I haven’t had water for 24 days. But that apart, it’s been a year that we don’t have water at night…Brixton, right here behind me.” Asked by Morero what time he received water, the resident claimed it was intermittent. Despite the tense exchange, Morero attempted to calm the resident, vowing to engage directly with affected communities and address their concerns.