By Janelle Denae Govender
Bottlebrush informal settlement residents protest over ongoing water supply issues.
Residents from the Bottlebrush informal settlement in Chatsworth took to the streets early this morning to demand access to water. The protest occurred at the corner of Chatsglen on-ramp to Higginson Highway eastbound and the entrance to the Shallcross link road, where roads were blocked and motorists were forced to use alternative routes to get to work.
Shallcross community activist, Judah Ben Hur, explains how residents’ frustration grows when they are not heard.
“Water is a need; it is the bare essential human right that people have. But there needs to be fairness in how this happens. The reason people are getting to the streets is because they don’t have an opportunity to present their frustrations to the municipality. Our ward councillors are not engaging with the people, and there’s no opportunity for their voices to be heard. That frustration ends up on the street,” he said.
Metro Police Captain Logan Pillay, who oversaw the protest, explained that illegal connections have worsened the crisis, and the area has been struggling for months.
“The informal settlement tapped into water lines illegally, supplying over 500 homes. These connections leak, wasting water, and the reservoirs run dry. The municipality cut off the illegal supply to stabilise water for the formal areas,” said Pillay.
This protest brings to light the urgent need for better communication between residents and the municipality to prevent frustrations from entering the streets.