ORANGE FARM, GAUTENG — ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is confronting mounting public pressure over the persistent water crisis and broader service delivery failures as he brings the ANC campaign directly to the doorsteps of residents in Orange Farm and Hammanskraal. Opting for house-to-house engagements over traditional rallies, the president’s visit has placed him face-to-face with communities that have endured years of unreliable municipal water, prolonged supply interruptions, and a heavy, normalized reliance on water tankers.
The physical reality of these long-established townships presents a stark backdrop for the campaign trail. Residents navigating Orange Farm point to severely deteriorated road networks and damaged electricity infrastructure, with visible signs of cable tampering compounding the area’s systemic deficits. While the president’s recent campaign stops in areas like Jabulani and Tshepisong centered heavily on electricity affordability and sustainable grid connectivity, the dominant and most urgent grievance in Orange Farm and Hammanskraal is unequivocally water.
For many households, the arrival of municipal water tankers has shifted from a temporary emergency measure to a permanent, decade-long fixture. Taps frequently run dry for weeks, forcing residents to wait hours each day or travel to neighboring extensions just to secure a basic constitutional resource. This narrative is especially acute in Hammanskraal, where the community’s trauma is deeply tied to the historical failure of the Roodeplaat Water Treatment Plant. The resulting lack of clean water access, which previously culminated in a severe cholera outbreak, continues to raise serious questions about the efficacy of local government management in the region.
During the door-to-door interactions, the president received a nuanced mix of feedback. Some elderly residents acknowledged past administrative wins, pointing to improved access to housing, newly constructed community schools, and the vital safety net provided by social grants. However, younger residents painted a far bleaker picture of their daily realities and future prospects. Local youth highlighted the absence of functional libraries and multi-purpose centers, the inadequacy of a single police station serving thousands, and sewage regularly spilling into residential streets.
The economic stigma of the area is also profound. One young resident revealed that job seekers routinely list a different municipality on their CVs, as employers frequently reject applicants once they see an Orange Farm address. Frustrations are further fueled by unfulfilled promises, such as a six-month government construction and maintenance project initiated in 2023, which locals say was marred by nepotism and failed to deliver sustainable employment or skills transfer.
The service delivery narrative has also sparked direct political friction. A billboard recently erected by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane explicitly called out the community’s reliance on water tankers, aiming to hold the ruling party accountable for the ongoing crisis. Gauteng Premier and ANC Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi swiftly condemned the move, labeling the billboard an opportunistic stunt. Lesufi pushed back by noting that the DA is directly responsible for appointing the current water tanker contractors in Tshwane, arguing that the opposition party must not attempt to distance itself from its own role in the procurement failures.
Addressing the mounting community pressure, President Ramaphosa assured residents that resolving the water crisis is a top priority. He stated that the matter will be urgently addressed, revealing that the premier has placed the issue on the agenda for a critical meeting with the Minister of Finance this coming Tuesday.
While the promise of high-level intervention offers a glimmer of hope, residents remain cautiously skeptical. The community’s lived experience is rooted in a long history of neglect, with documented reports of dry taps in Orange Farm dating back as far as 2016. As the local government election campaign intensifies, the ANC faces the formidable challenge of translating these renewed promises into the reliable, everyday service delivery that these communities have been waiting years to see.
