Residents of Drieziek near Orange Farm have struggled with inconsistent water supplies for years, with some residents reporting dry taps since 2016. They say the problem is only getting worse and a permanent solution may be another 10 years away.

"[Getting] water is like finding a job in South Africa for us," said Nkele Dikeledi Modibogo, a resident of Drieziek Extension 3. Modibogo said that tap water used to be available in the mornings and switched off by nine or 10 in the morning. But since 2021, an increasing number of taps have been "totally dry" for months at a time. During the 2025 Christmas period many residents had no water at all.

For years, residents across Drieziek, near Orange Farm, have struggled to secure clean water. A Daily Maverick investigation into this area, in southwest Gauteng, found that it has been plagued by dry taps, water cuts and inconsistent supplies. Water tanks supplied to the area are filled infrequently and are not cleaned out or sealed, raising the risk of contamination.

Daily Maverick recently visited Drieziek, a peri-urban area on the outskirts of Johannesburg that is plagued by high unemployment and poor service delivery. The signs of neglect from the City of Johannesburg municipality are visible.

The roads are riddled with potholes, and in the mornings children can be seen pushing wheelbarrows full of water buckets to and from the nearby tanks. Residents who haven't had water in weeks...