Joburg braces for prolonged water disruptions as Rand Water maintenance enters final phase

By Thapelo Molefe

Johannesburg residents in several suburbs face days of low water pressure and possible outages as the city prepares for a 54-hour shutdown linked to critical Rand Water maintenance, with full recovery expected to take up to a week after pumping resumes.

Mayor Dada Morero was briefing the media on Monday on the final phase of maintenance at Rand Water’s Eikenhof Pump Station, scheduled from 04:00 on Tuesday, until 08:00 on Thursday. The work forms part of essential upgrades to bulk water infrastructure supplying large parts of the city.

Morero said the maintenance was necessary to secure Johannesburg’s long-term water reliability but warned that it would significantly reduce the volume of water entering Johannesburg Water’s network during the shutdown period.

Reservoirs expected to be affected include the Roodepoort Deep, Fleurhof, Doornkop, Meadowlands 1 and 2, Braamfischer and their associated direct feeds. As supply drops, reservoir levels will gradually