Poor water supply in Ward 20 and Ward 36 prompted residents to submit an urgent petition to Rand Water.

On September 17, Ward 20 Councillor Jill Humphreys led residents in presenting the petition to the entity.

“We, the residents of [aforementioned wards] in the City of Ekurhuleni, hereby petition Rand Water regarding the constant water outages, minimal water supply in the area, and the lack of communication and feedback on these outages,” the petition stated. It cited Section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution, which guarantees everyone the right to access “sufficient” water.

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The petition highlighted that the incoming water supply had been wholly insufficient to service the wards and reservoirs.

In Ward 20, intermittent shortages had persisted for more than a year, and a section of Bedfordview had experienced a complete lack of supply for four weeks.

The petition demanded:
• Timely communication of any failures to Ekurhuleni.
• Urgent measures to address this essential human right.
• Regular and accurate communication to allow the city to provide notice and prepare backups.
• Recognition that prolonged outages exceeding a week are unreasonable for residents relying on street-side water tankers and JoJo tanks while being charged for services not received.
• Equal accountability from Rand Water, which is paid for a service not being provided.

Humphreys said a Rand Water executive received and signed for the petition.

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On September 26, the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) responded, stating that the outages began after the decommissioning of the Signal Hill reservoir for repairs. The contractor resumed work on September 9.

The city also deployed four stationary tankers at key locations to mitigate the impact, including Van Buuren Road near Virgin Active, the corners of Riley and Protea Roads, Townsend and Acacia Roads, and Boeing Road near g-Fleet Management.

Further updates came from the Office of the Executive Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, on September 29.

The mayor said that in collaboration with provincial and national agencies and Rand Water, a comprehensive action plan is underway to restore and stabilise water supply in Bedfordview.

A critical component of the plan is maintaining Klipfontein Reservoir levels above 50% to ensure adequate pressure.

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Current levels stand at 41%, below the optimal threshold. During a high-level meeting on September 28 with the Rand Water chairperson, city executives, and general manager, Rand Water committed to raising and sustaining reservoir levels above 50% as an immediate measure.

Xhakaza also noted that the recently refurbished Signal Hill Reservoir, which underwent R4 million in resealing and refurbishment, had no incoming supply from the Rand Water system at the time of inspection.

Looking ahead, a permanent solution is planned with the construction of the new O6 Rand Water pipeline, scheduled for commissioning in the first quarter of 2026.

The project is expected to significantly increase supply capacity, address peak demand challenges, and provide a more reliable water supply to Bedfordview residents.