Johannesburg residents are bracing for significant water cuts as Rand Water undertakes a major maintenance programme scheduled from late May through to July 21, 2025. The extensive work is designed to improve the reliability and capacity of crucial water infrastructure.
Johannesburg Water has issued advisories that these phased activities will affect numerous areas, leading to low pressure or no water, and urges preparedness for the impending water cuts.
A critical 107-hour phase of this programme commenced at 3 am on Thursday, May 29, impacting the Mapleton system and other municipalities, including Ekurhuleni and Tshwane. This involves a complete cessation of pumping at the Mapleton station until 5 pm on Monday, June 2. This initial disruption is part of a broader strategy to enhance the water network.
Rand Water’s Chief Operations Officer, Mahlomola Mehlo, explained that the project involves “commissioning new infrastructure that brings an additional 600 million litres of water into our system,” which will provide “better flexibility going forward, particularly ahead of the high-demand summer months.”
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Phased Maintenance Schedule and Impacted Zones
The comprehensive maintenance includes connecting new pipelines, replacing essential valves, repairing leaks, and conducting statutory cleaning and inspections of reservoirs and sedimentation tanks. These operations will be rolled out in distinct stages:
From June 3: Areas including Sandton, Alexandra Park, and Midrand will experience a 10-hour pumping reduction (to 67% of normal capacity) due to work on the Palmiet system. This is for the isolation, cleaning, and inspection of the Klipriviersberg reservoir. Johannesburg Water has indicated this will affect Sandton, Alexander Park, Midrand, and nearby systems.
June 30 to July 2: Significant water cuts are anticipated when repairs and valve replacements are carried out across the Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes systems. These will affect areas such as Soweto, Randburg, Lenasia, Brixton, Crosby, and Crown Gardens. Some localities could face complete water outages for up to 50 hours, as the Zwartkopjes system will have no pumping during this 50-hour period. The Eikenhof system will also see an initial six-hour period of no pumping, then 50% pumping for 42 hours during this timeframe for pipe leak repairs at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch plant.
June 30 to July 21: The Eikenhof system is scheduled for an extended period of maintenance, primarily for the cleaning of a sedimentation tank at the Vereeniging plant. This will result in reduced pumping capacity (initially no pumping for six hours, then 50% for 42 hours, and 80% for the remaining 19 days of this 21-day operation). This long phase will also impact areas supplied by the Eikenhof system, including parts of Soweto, Randburg, and Lenasia.
Rand Water has clarified that the maintenance programme is strategically scheduled during the colder months of May to July. This timing is chosen because water demand is typically lower, which helps to minimise the overall disruption and better manage the impact on supply, while preparing the system for increased demand from August.
Johannesburg Water strongly advises residents in all affected areas to store sufficient water in advance of these scheduled interruptions. The utility has also stated that temporary water tankers will be deployed to key locations to assist affected residents. Authorities further caution that the full restoration of normal water supply may take several days following the completion of each maintenance phase. This is particularly true for high-lying areas, due to complexities such as repressurising the extensive network and dealing with potential airlocks in municipal reticulation systems.
