Khoza said residents will reconnect the water supply themselves as they cannot live without water.

“We know we have an illegal connection, but no one is coming to help with water. We had no choice. Now they have cut off our connection, we will reconnect until they find a permanent solution.”

Despite the City of Joburg providing water tankers, illegal connections have proliferated in the informal settlement since 2017.

Khoza said residents had no choice.

“We asked for water and made a plan that we cannot live without water. We have been connected since 2017 and no one has given us a solution regarding the right water. I know this is an unofficial solution, but we are people and we need water and we are not fighting with anyone.”

Another resident, Yoliswa Langa, describes how locals raised money to buy water pipes to be connected to the water network.

“We did it on our own. We bought the pipes and connected them ourselves because we’ve been living here without water for so long that it was time to get some water for ourselves. Even if there was electricity, we had to buy solar power for ourselves to get electricity, at least to keep cool.”

Joburg Water said the informal settlement was serviced with water tanks to meet residents’ needs. These tanks were destroyed after ongoing land invasions and increasing illegal water connections strained the local supply network.

The utility says this has forced it to disconnect unauthorized connections in the area and repair water tankers.

Meanwhile, tensions remain high in the region as residents sing struggle songs.

Earlier in the day, authorities encountered resistance from residents who cut off connections, resulting in rubber bullets being fired.

By Zandile Khumalo