Residents in the Lesedi Local Municipality continue to face water supply challenges, with the municipality admitting that low water pressure remains a persistent problem in several communities.
This emerged during hearings by the South African Human Rights Commission into the ongoing Gauteng water crisis, where municipalities were called to account over service delivery, aging infrastructure and water supply issues.
Municipal Manager Sibusiso Dlamini told the Commission that while residents have raised concerns about inconsistent water supply and households not connected to pipeline systems, the municipalityโs water network remains largely operational.
Dlamini explained that water supply in the municipality is โgenerally not completely interrupted,โ but said low water pressure often affects the flow of water to communities.
According to the municipality, Lesedi currently maintains a 99.1% piped water supply rate. However, officials acknowledged that pressure-related disruptions continue to impact residents.
To address the situation, the municipality has started replacing aging water pipes and installing pumps aimed at improving water flow in affected areas. Lesedi is also working closely with Rand Water to deal with water-related challenges.
The municipality further revealed that it owns three in-house water tankers and spends around R400 000 annually on tanker services during major water disruptions.
The hearings form part of the Human Rights Commissionโs broader inquiry into water challenges affecting communities across Gauteng.
