A technical fault at the Palmiet pumping station has left Midrand and parts of Gauteng without water for six days, highlighting Johannesburg's ongoing water infrastructure challenges. While recovery efforts are underway, broader areas in the city continue to face prolonged outages. Officials promise resolutions, but residents demand better communication.
The water outage in Midrand began over the weekend due to two power failures at Rand Water’s Palmiet pumping station, with the most recent occurring on January 31. This issue was compounded by a leak at the Klipfontein Reservoir inlet, leading to the closure of outlets and affecting reservoirs including Klipfontein, Brakfontein, and Hartebeeshoek. As a result, Midrand residents have been without running water for six days, though some areas like Vorna Valley, Crowthorne, and Kyalami remained dry as of Wednesday morning.
Johannesburg's water woes extend beyond Midrand. Areas such as Selby have lacked running water for at least six months amid ongoing work at the Hector Norris pump station. High-lying parts of Melville and Eldoradopark have been dry since January 12, and on Tuesday, additional sections of Melville lost supply. In Bezuidenhout Valley, schoolchildren were sent home last week due to no water, while Brixton’s elevated areas have endured outages for two weeks. Some parts of Claremont have faced irregular supply for 12 years.
At the Brixton reservoir, a pump breakdown last week delayed repairs due to missing spare parts, reducing overall pumping capacity. The Commando system, serving neighborhoods like Melville, Brixton, Vrededorp, and Parktown West, saw water run dry on Tuesday, with only the new Brixton reservoir providing limited supply. Johannesburg Water (JW) attributed this to maintenance needs at the Crosby backup pump station and expects work to conclude by Thursday at 4pm, followed by three to five days for recovery. The entity plans to provide alternative water supplies during this period.
Executive Mayor Dada Morero addressed the crisis at a Tuesday press conference in Midrand, stating that reservoir levels were increasing and expressing regret for the outage. He announced JW's construction of three new reservoirs and one nearly completed tower to address Midrand's growth. However, frustration over poor communication persists. Residents at a virtual Midrand meeting voiced anger over delayed updates from JW.
WaterCAN executive director Dr Ferrial Adam criticized the lack of consistent information, calling for daily briefings from authorities. “Johannesburg Water has repeatedly failed to communicate consistently about the repeated failures in its ability to deliver reliable water to consumers,” she said. Adam urged the Minister of Water and Sanitation and Mayor Morero to ensure direct public engagement during disruptions, emphasizing transparent updates on outages, timelines, and technical issues.
As of Wednesday afternoon, only the Roodepoort and Randburg systems offered fair supply, while others faced constraints. In the south, the Ennerdale reservoir was critically low and Lenasia High Level empty. Soweto's Naledi extension 2 had no water for four days, and Orange Farm's reservoir was low, with temporary closures planned for recovery.