Johannesburg's water crisis angers voters, drives rich off-grid

Johannesburg residents are coping with daily water shortages as the city bleeds more than a third of its supply through burst pipes, estimated at about 655 million litres (173 million gallons) a day. For 17-year-old student Thandani Masangu in Hillbrow, the disruption has meant collecting water from a municipal truck for years—his block has had no service for more than three years. Ahead of local elections expected by November, the crisis is reshaping voter anger and weakening support for South Africa’s ruling African National Congress. Wealthier residents increasingly drill boreholes, while Johannesburg Water says infrastructure is over 50 years old.