By Johnathan Paoli
Civil society organisation WaterCAN has called for a public review of Johannesburg’s recent water recovery process following Rand Water’s maintenance programme, arguing that residents deserve clear answers about why parts of the city endured prolonged supply disruptions and what lessons have been learned before the next planned shutdown in July.
The call comes as communities supplied by Johannesburg Water’s Commando system continue to grapple with the aftermath of maintenance-related outages that left some residents without reliable water for days after the work was completed.
WaterCAN Executive Director Dr Ferrial Adam said the focus should now shift from the maintenance itself to understanding what happened during the recovery phase and ensuring similar problems are avoided in future.
“We know that maintenance can result in temporary disruptions. What residents need to understand is why recovery has taken so long in some areas and what is being done to prevent a repeat of this experience during the next maintenance cycle,” Adam said.
The organisation is demanding a public post-maintenance briefing from Johannesburg Water that explains the causes of the delayed recovery, identifies which parts of the network struggled the most, outlines interventions undertaken to restore supply and details measures being implemented before the next scheduled maintenance shutdown.
Adam said residents had repeatedly been told that the system was “recovering”, but argued that authorities had not adequately explained what that process entailed.
“Every time there is a major outage, residents are told that the system is recovering. But what does recovery actually mean? Which reservoirs or towers have struggled to refill? Which areas have recovered more slowly than expected? What operational challenges emerged? What caused the breakdown at the Crosby Pump Station and to what extent did it contribute to the delayed recovery?” she asked.
The latest maintenance-related disruptions followed the completion of phase one of Rand Water’s planned maintenance programme at the beginning of June.
While most of Johannesburg’s water systems recovered relatively quickly, Johannesburg Water repeatedly warned that the Commando system, which serves areas including Coronationville, Westbury, Claremont, Brixton, Crosby, Sophiatown, Melville, Emmarentia, Greenside and Parktown, would take longer to stabilise.
Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said earlier this week that residents in affected areas could face delays of between three and five days before supply was fully restored.
Shabalala described the recovery of the Commando system as constrained and said operational interventions were required to balance the network and assist with reservoir replenishment.
Speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, Johannesburg Water operations manager Logan Munsamy described the Commando system as one of the city’s most sensitive supply networks.
“We must also remember that the Commando system is one of the most sensitive systems. In order for the system to fully recover, the upstream systems on the supply side need to be fully pressurised. The upstream reservoirs that store water also need to be filled and be fully pressurised,” Munsamy said.
The city officially opened the Brixton Reservoir and Water Tower Project in April this year.
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina described the development as a key component of efforts to strengthen the Commando Water Supply System and improve supply reliability to surrounding communities and major institutions.
In September last year, Johannesburg Water announced an investment of more than R800 million to address chronic infrastructure constraints affecting the network.
The utility said insufficient bulk infrastructure, including reservoirs, bulk pipelines and pump stations, had made the system particularly vulnerable to service interruptions and slow recovery periods.
WaterCAN acknowledged that Johannesburg Water had provided updates during the outage but said communication had fallen short when recovery timelines slipped.
“Communication is most important when water does not return as expected. Residents do not need generic statements that the system is recovering. They need simple, regular and empathetic updates that explain what has gone wrong, what is being done to resolve it and when they can realistically expect water to return,” Adam said.
The organisation called for more visible public communication during major outages, arguing that technical updates shared on social media platforms and WhatsApp groups should not replace regular public briefings.
With a second phase of Rand Water maintenance scheduled for 17 July, WaterCAN said authorities now have an opportunity to demonstrate that they have learned from the latest disruptions.
“The real test now is whether the City and Johannesburg Water can demonstrate that they have assessed the challenges experienced during this recovery period and put measures in place to reduce the impact on residents next time,” Adam said.
