Rustenburg - Parts of Letlhabile township are receiving water following protests by residents in the area during the week, the department of water said on Friday.
“At the moment water is available in parts of Letlhabile,” spokesman Sputnik Ratau said in a statement.
“It is necessary for the officials to access and start the water pumps that will feed water to the elevated tanks that give access to zones G and H.”
Eighteen people were arrested for allegedly looting foreign-owned shops on Tuesday. They were released on a warning by the Brits Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
The group was arrested in Maboloka village. Their protest was sparked by a shortage of water in Jericho and Letlhabile at the weekend, the Madibeng municipality said on Thursday.
In February residents of Majakaneng, south of Brits, protested about water supply.
Four people died in Mothotlung, Madibeng, during a protest over access to water in 2014.
Ratau said on Thursday that the optimisation of the Brits water treatment plant had started on Monday and was already showing benefits.
He said restoring water services to the affected areas included the enhancement of local municipality's capacity.
“The MECs indicated their intention to visit the Brits Water Treatment Works and the Hartbeespoort Dam in the near future to look at what progress is being made regarding their operation.”
Sapa