Lesufi calls emergency meeting amid water protests

Lesufi spoke to Jacaranda FM News on the sidelines of a seminar in Sandton on the role of sub-national government in global governance when he confirmed that urgent steps were needed to address the growing crisis.

[BREAKING NEWS] Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says he will be calling an emergency meeting tonight in response to the wave of water and service delivery protests across Johannesburg.

Lesufi acknowledged the demonstrations in areas including Westbury, Ebony Park and Tsakane. pic.twitter.com/iqmj4ssszW

— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) September 10, 2025

He said discussions held earlier this week with the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, and Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero had already highlighted the urgency of the situation, but the scale of protests had forced him to escalate.

“This issue of water is really starting to be a difficult matter that needs our immediate and collective attention. We need all of us to put our resources together and attend to it. No single municipality can claim we can resolve it,” said Lesufi.

The emergency meeting comes after days of unrest.

Communities in Westbury, Ebony Park, Tsakane, and Vlaskfontein have taken to the streets demanding reliable water supply, with some protests turning violent. In Westbury, police fired rubber bullets at residents, leaving at least one person injured.

In Ebony Park, demonstrations centred on water throttling by Johannesburg Water, which residents say has disrupted their daily lives.

Lesufi acknowledged the anger of residents and linked their grievances to the province’s broader infrastructure challenges.

“The area that is not stable, is water. We have serious water challenges in the city. I don’t want to have visitors that can’t even have warm water in our area,” he warned

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