Joburg residents brace for dry taps over festive season during major maintenance programme

Johannesburg residents should brace for interrupted water supply over the festive season as Rand Water conducts maintenance of its systems. The maintenance will run intermittently between 13 December 2025 and 8 January 2026. During this period, residents of affected reservoirs can expect reduced water pressure, intermittent water supplies, and full outages in higher-lying and end-of-street areas.

On Friday, 12 December, Joburg Water held a media briefing at the entity’s depot in Langlaagte to outline the scope of the maintenance work, the expected supply constraints, affected areas and what mitigation measures are in place to manage the impact.

Two major water pumping stations – Zuikerbosch and Eikenhof – that serve Johannesburg, Pretoria and surrounding areas will undergo shutdowns while maintenance work is carried out in three phases.

During phase one, Zuikerbosch will be shut down for 48 hours starting from 4am over the weekend of 13-15 December. Phase two will be carried out at Eikenhof over a 54-hour shutdown period from 7pm on 19 December until midnight on 21 December. The third and final phase will also take place at Eikenhof, which will be shut down from 4am on 6 January until 8am on 8 January.

Residents can anticipate three- to five-day recovery periods following these shutdowns.

Zuikerbosch is a major water treatment plant that supplies most of Gauteng, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Ekurhuleni, as well as parts of North West. The Eikenhof shutdown will affect the following areas:

• Lenasia
• Randburg
• Roodepoort
• Parts of Johannesburg central, including the Eagles Nest, Crown Gardens, Aeroton and Alan Manor reservoirs
• Soweto

Joburg Water has advised that although the Commando system will not be shut down, it may experience secondary impact from the maintenance work done at Eikenhof.

Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo told Daily Maverick: “The timing of the maintenance work aligns with the rainy season, allowing for a faster recovery of the systems once the maintenance work is completed.”

Tankers to be deployed

Speaking to the media, Joburg Water chairperson Dineo Majavu said the utility had put several contingency plans into place, including filling up reservoirs to full capacity by 8 December and identifying water hydrants that could be used as filling points.

A key feature in the contingency plan was the procurement of a new fleet of water tankers entirely owned by the City of Johannesburg. The fleet was unveiled during Friday’s briefing.

Joburg Water senior manager of operations Randhir Singh said the entity had procured 20 water tankers, 16 of which had already been delivered and would be deployed to affected areas over the maintenance period.

Singh said that for the first round of maintenance, scheduled to start on 13 December, Joburg Water would need 78 water tankers to provide alternative sources in affected areas.

The requirements would taper down for the remaining phases, with phase two requiring 62 water tankers, and phase three, the smallest maintenance, requiring only 26 tankers.

“We have purchased 20, with 16 already on hand. Including the tankers we have commissioned from contractors, we have over 80 at our disposal. So we are comfortable that we have the number to ensure affected areas are supplied,” Singh said.

Joburg Water managing director Ntshavheni Mukwevho said the remaining water tankers would be delivered in the new year and the utility had plans to procure an additional 20 tankers before the end of 2026.

Mukwevho added that the procurement of the tankers meant that the City would be able to provide water during emergency situations (like water disruptions) and to informal settlements where there was no access to water.

Joburg Water owes contractors more than R800-million, and on Friday its officials did not respond directly to how much the new water tankers cost, but said it was cheaper than outsourcing. They also did not reply directly to questions regarding how they would pay water tanker contractors they may use during the maintenance period.

Read more: Government entities owe Joburg Water R628m — see who’s not paying their accounts

Daily Maverick has previously reported on how Joburg Water awarded a R233-million controversial water tanker contract to a company with no experience.

Regarding the location of the tankers over the weekend, a spokesperson for Joburg Water, Nombuso Shabalala, told Daily Maverick: “A detailed list of tanker locations will be published before each maintenance phase. This ensures that the list reflects accurate, real-time operational conditions, as system performance differs across the various Rand Water supply systems.”

She added that the final list would be published on Joburg Water platforms and shared with ward councillors.

Repeat of 2024?

In 2024, maintenance work on the Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes reservoirs experienced delays, leaving taps dry for longer than anticipated. Maintenance delays have been an ongoing issue, as residents supplied by the Hurst Hill 2 reservoir have been left with inconsistent water supplies following a test run on the reservoir over 1-7 December, before a planned major renewal project to address long-standing structural leakages.

Read more: WhatsApp’s water warriors take mayor’s place while dry Johannesburg swelters

Shabalala advised that the Hurst Hill 2 reservoir would return to full service in early 2026 with “a more precise commissioning date to be confirmed once the final technical validations and safety assessments are complete”. In the meantime, residents will receive water through a bypass system, which will remain in place throughout the renewal project.

Water supplies across South Africa have become severely constrained in recent years, driven by ageing infrastructure and climate change. A report from the Water Research Council found that more than one-third (37%) of water was lost daily to leaks, theft and waste. If the demand continued at the current rate, it could outstrip available supplies by 17% by 2030.

Johannesburg’s water systems are on the verge of collapse, with areas of the city facing outages for days at a time. Frustrated residents of Coronationville and Westbury protested in August over water cuts that lasted more than five days. In early November, a mass protest was held at the Johannesburg Council Chambers over what organisers referred to as “an unprecedented” water crisis.

Read more: Joburg water crisis disrupts schools, imperils health, fuels crime, say protesters

According to the Water Research Council, demand for water peaks during the summer months due to higher temperatures, longer days and increased outdoor water usage in gardens, pools and car washes. Residents are advised to use water responsibly by limiting shower times, covering swimming pools, watering lawns in the early morning or early evening, and ensuring that taps are switched off fully after use. DM