Woman who washed hair in the rain says she’s struggling due to political failures

A woman who took social media by storm after washing her hair using shampoo and rain in traffic said she is struggling because of political failures.

Seventy-two-year-old Lieza Louw, a Westdene resident, is among thousands of Johannesburg residents who’ve had to contend with dry taps for extended periods.

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

She drew widespread attention online following the unconventional public protest against the city’s water crisis.

Many parts of Johannesburg continue to experience prolonged water outages.

Dressed in a bathing suit and a nightgown, Louw brought her shampoo and conditioner to the streets, washing her hair in full view of fellow protesters.

She said it had been 25 days since she last properly washed her hair, as her taps were dry for almost a month.

“I thought to myself that I’m just going to wash my hair because this is the reality. This is the reality and this is what we’re going to do now.”

She said she has zero faith in the city's political leaders.

“The anger boils over, which is why we also protested in the streets. So, what I want to say is power to the people. Like I said, ‘Amanzi Awethu’.”

Meanwhile, Johannesburg Water said while recovery has been slow, it’s beginning to see slight improvements in its systems.