Joburg's Muslim community fears water outages will affect Ramadan

Some members of the Muslim community in parts of Joburg fear water outages may persist well into their fasting period.

On Thursday, residents in parts of Joburg south, many of whom are Muslim, protested a four-day stretch of dry taps.

They are worried Ramadan may begin next week, and water would have not been restored - which will disrupt their tradition.

Ramadan is the fasting period from sunrise to sunset for members of the Muslim community and is set to begin on 17 February 2026 and end on19 March 2026.

Yumna Haffajee says government is already denying them the right to water but if they are still without water, it would be a denial to practice their religion.

“My main concern is that Ramadan is coming up in the next seven days. We as Muslims, it is the most spiritual month for us. We wait every single year for this special occasion month. But now, without us having water, I mean, how do we purify ourselves? How do we pray? How do we break our fast?”

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