All weekend, community WhatsApp groups pinned water tanker locations to help people in Johannesburg find water. (Photo: Johannesburg Water Crisis Committee) 
As Christmas draws closer, some Johannesburg residents are steeling themselves for a festive season with the possibility of dry taps as a result of major planned maintenance work on key water infrastructure over three phases in South Africa’s biggest metro.
Phase One, which began on Saturday, 13 December, was only meant to last 48 hours (two days), but for some residents, particularly those living in Midrand, water outages lasted much longer.
Unexpectedly, parts of the Commando system, including areas linked to the Hursthill 1 and 2 reservoirs, also experienced outages during Phase One, despite not being scheduled for shutdown. Water only began trickling back mid-week, highlighting the system’s vulnerability and the knock-on effects of bulk supply disruptions.
While water access has been restored to many areas, concerns remain that Phase Two disruptions may bleed into Christmas, as Johannesburg Water has confirmed that the full recovery of these systems takes several days after the maintenance ends.
Phase Two: what to expect (19-21 December)
Phase Two will run from 6pm on Friday, 19 December, until midnight on Sunday, 21 December, and involves critical valve replacements and pipeline works on the Eikenhof system, another vital bulk supply feeder. During this 54-hour window, no water will be pumped into Johannesburg Water’s network from the affected meters.
Residents in the following areas are most likely to feel the impact:
- Power Park
- Doornkop and the surrounding communities
- Zondi
- Braamfischer
- Chiawelo
- Lenasia
These systems draw from Eikenhof, and the shutdown will reduce pressure and could cause temporary outages or weak flow, particularly in elevated suburbs.
To reiterate, Joburg Water warned that normal supply may not immediately resume after midnight on 21 December, as reservoirs and tanks will need time to refill.
Speaking to Daily Maverick, Dr Ferrial Adam, director of the civil society organisation WaterCAN, said the timing of the maintenance has heightened anxiety on the ground, particularly because recovery from Phase One took longer than initially communicated.
Dr Adam explains that while Johannesburg Water has assured civil society that the Commando system should not be affected this time, residents in the south should still expect low pressure, intermittent supply or temporary outages, particularly in higher-lying areas
Even once maintenance concludes, water may not return immediately. “When the work stops, the system still needs days to recover,” she said, raising concerns that some communities could be affected dangerously close to Christmas.
To ease the impact of the planned shutdown, Johannesburg Water has deployed water tankers across the city, especially in neighbourhoods expected to suffer the most severe disruption.
Last week, before phase one of the planned maintenance, Daily Maverick reported that Johannesburg Water had acquired 80 water tankers, 16 of which the entity owned. But Dr Adam warned that tankers are neither sufficient nor sustainable as a response to large-scale outages.
During Phase One, tanker deployment was uneven and reactive, with some areas only receiving water after civil society groups raised alarms. Adam added that Central Johannesburg neighbourhoods have relied on tankers since September, long before the December maintenance began, a sign of deeper systemic failure.
While Johannesburg Water now publishes tanker schedules, Dr Adam questions whether the fleet, estimated at around 80 tankers, can realistically meet demand across dozens of affected areas, especially during the festive season when more people are at home.
“There’s no way water tankers can supply the number of people affected,” she said, adding that over-reliance on tankers risks violating the minimum daily water access required under South African law.
Broader concerns beyond December
While Dr Adam stressed that maintenance is necessary, she questions why major shutdowns are repeatedly scheduled so close to Christmas, when recovery delays can disrupt families, religious observances and basic hygiene.
“The idea that demand is lower during the holidays is simply not true. Most people are at home. And when you know the system is fragile and recovery takes days, the timing shows a disconnect from people’s lived realities,” Adam said.
/file/attachments/orphans/ED_584987_900411.jpg "Johannesburg residents protest the water crisis outside Johannesburg Council Chambers on 1 November 2025. The group demanded an urgent action to end what they described as a “human rights and economic emergency” caused by the worsening water crisis and accountability, transparency, and dignity in the city’s water system. (Photo: Gallo Images / Fani Mahuntsi)")
She added that responsibility does not lie with Johannesburg Water alone. Rand Water, she argues, should also be held accountable for scheduling decisions that place already-strained municipal systems under further pressure.
As Phase Two unfolds, civil society groups say they will continue monitoring supply levels and tanker distribution, warning that without improved planning, transparency and funding, Johannesburg’s water maintenance cycles will continue to place residents at risk – especially during critical periods. DM