East Rand businesses struggle with water shortage

Businesses in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, have been affected by the low water supply in the area.

Many have resorted to bringing containers of water from their homes or relatives' homes to ensure their businesses are able to continue.

There has been no water in the area since Saturday.

Virgin Active Bedfordview club manager Shelley van Wyk said the gym had been heavily affected since the water shortage.

"We've been adversely affected. Members in the area don't have water at home and they come here and there's still none."

Van Wyk said on Thursday there had been no water from 10am until the end of business at 9pm. On Friday there was some water but she was not sure for how long. 

The gym had locked some toilets for hygiene reasons.

Between 2500 and 3000 people went to the gym on a daily basis and the lack of consistent water supply was becoming a problem, she said.

"Today we've got water slightly, but it's not sufficient."

She said water from the water tanker supplied by Rand Water often only lasted for about an hour.

Gym member Nicole Katsouris, who lives in Senderwood, said it was difficult to gym with limited water.

She still had water where she lived and family and friends were coming over to her house to have showers.

"You can't go to the malls because it's unhealthy."

She said she had gone to a restaurant during the week which claimed it had water, only to find out that it did not.

"It's disgusting and unhygienic."

Bedfordview resident Jennifer Valentim said she and her five family members had not washed dishes or clothes since the water shortage began on Saturday.

"We've been using pool water to flush our toilets and we've been eating out outside of Bedfordview."

She said they were also relying on family in the south of Johannesburg for showers and food.

Valentim was at the Synergise spa having her nails done.

Spa owner Shirley-Anne Hale, who lives in the south, said she brought water from home for her business.

She had four 25-litre containers of water in her car's boot and four five-litre containers in the spa's toilet.

She said her business had been affected by the water shortage.

"It's been a quiet week because some of the clients think we are closed."

A salon owner, who lives in Edenvale but runs her business in Bedfordview, said she was also bringing water from home in containers.

She had resorted to washing her clients' hair using mini bowls and buckets.

She said some clients refused to have their hair washed in buckets, and left, but most of them were understanding.

"We're doing okay, we still have business," she said.

"We run late every day. Things that take us 20 minutes will now take 45 minutes so it takes us longer [to do business]."

She said some of her clients brought containers of water with them to assist her.

 

 

(File photo: Gallo Images)