Frustrated Douglasdale residents confronted Johannesburg Water (JW) officials after they revealed that pipe replacement is not currently planned for the area, despite months of recurring bursts and water outages.

The revelation came during a community meeting called by Ward 106 councillor Chris Santana at Norscot Manor Recreation Centre. The meeting was to address the suburb’s worsening water crisis, with residents challenging officials over repeated failures, poor communication, and what they described as temporary repairs to infrastructure that continues to burst.

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JW official Nkosinathi Xaba told residents that the immediate focus would be on interventions, such as pressure management and the installation of air valves, rather than replacing the network. Xaba said JW had identified locations for new air valves, with installations expected to begin the following week and continue until the end of September.

The intervention comes after residents repeatedly questioned whether pressure fluctuations are contributing to the failures. However, JW previously rejected claims that excessive pressure is responsible for the recurring bursts.

In response to questions from Fourways Review, JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala previously said the utility had not identified excessive water pressure in the Crawford Drive network as a contributing factor.

“As part of routine maintenance, JW serviced the pressure reducing valve (PRV) in the area in January. Assessments confirmed that the PRV is functioning properly and remains in good condition.”

At the meeting, however, officials discussed pressure-related interventions, including air valves and PRVs, as measures intended to help mitigate the ongoing failures.

Nico Singh, from JW, said it had changed its repair approach in the area. Singh told residents that, instead of repairing only the immediate point of failure, teams would now replace the full length of the affected pipe leg where possible.

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Residents challenged this claim, saying their experience had been that only small sections were replaced before another burst occurred.

Singh acknowledged that the frequency of bursts had increased significantly over the past three to four months, but for residents the bursts go way back.

Peter Tuerk, claimed the community had experienced about 80 bursts in six months.

“One day of water, two days no water. Next day, one day of water, two days. This has been ongoing for over six months.”

Other residents criticised JW’s poor communication, and questioned the quality of some repair work, while another resident, Donna Linnell, raised concerns about the financial impact of the crisis, saying residents’ water bills did not appear to correspond with the unreliable supply they were receiving.

Singh said JW is currently faces a R37b infrastructure renewal and upgrade backlog, including water pipes, reservoirs, and other infrastructure, estimating that addressing the backlog could take between five and 10 years.

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