Dozens of bottled rainwater: Westdene residents struggle amid Johannesburg water crisis

While parts of Johannesburg were beginning to see gradual improvements in water supply, affected residents shared harrowing accounts of how they had struggled to cope over the past few weeks.

Several areas, including the southern suburbs and many communities in the northern parts of the city, went weeks without running water.

The shortages were caused by system failures at Rand Water, which severely disrupted pumping to communities across the province.

ALSO READ: ANC ‘haemorrhaging’ support in Johannesburg as service delivery anger grows

Although Johannesburg Water said its systems were gradually recovering, many taps remained dry and water pressure was still low in some areas.

In the suburban parts of Westdene, a usually quiet community, frustration was growing as dry taps became the norm.

Lieza Louw, 72, welcomed Eyewitness News into her home, where the first thing visible was dozens of water bottles lined up in her kitchen, filled with rainwater.

Beneath her kitchen chair sat a large red container, which she used to store water for preparing her daily meals.

As she knelt to pull out the container, she said this had now become her unfortunate reality.

"I have a big container with water. I can use it for cooking – once I’ve boiled it in the kettle – and I can also use it for a bath. In this container, I use this water for dishwashing," she said.

Meanwhile, Johannesburg Water said while there were slight improvements, some of its systems remained strained.