News24.com | 'We watched the house burn': Yeoville resident's home goes up in flames amid water outages

Mmatlala Dube watched her Yoeville home burn down to the ground during water outages.

• Yeoville resident Mmatlala Dube's home burnt to the ground earlier this week.
• She told News24 they couldn't extinguish the flames due to water outages.
• Even firefighters couldn't help as their tankers were empty, she said.

Yoeville resident Mmatlala Dube was left homeless after her three-bedroom house burnt to the ground during water outages. 

Dube told News24 she couldn't extinguish the fire, which started in her bedroom and spread to the whole house. She said, although firefighters had arrived, they couldn't assist because of empty water tanks.

"Their vans were empty. They also didn't have water, so we watched the house burn," she said.

Dube shared the home with four family members: her husband, two children, and grandchild. 

"I live with my husband, our two children and our grandchild. We have been staying at a friend's house, but this can't be a permanent solution. Soon we have to move and look for accommodation elsewhere. The house burnt down, and there was nothing we could do," she said.

Comment from the Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi will be added once received.

Yeoville residents have been without water for three days and rely on tankers to deliver the scarce resource. The problem is due to a faulty reservoir that has been experiencing operational issues, according to ward councillor David Nthako Modupi.

READ | 'Water is a right, not a luxury': Joburg residents suffering outages take fight to the City

Modupi told News24 that Joburg Water had dispatched tankers to affected wards. He said the City was "on top" of the water issue and would be on site on Saturday.

Environmental and infrastructure services MMC Jack Sekwaila said their team would replace the reservoir pump at the weekend.

"It's an expensive exercise, and the City doesn't have money now. The City is providing water tanks across all the affected areas. There were eight yesterday [Thursday], and today, there are 15 of them. They are rotating all the streets from morning until the evening," Sekwaila said.