Frustrated Midrand residents took to the streets on February 3, staging a protest at the corner of Vodacom Boulevard and Lever Road over persistent water shortages affecting the area.

Residents say Midrand is repeatedly hit hardest whenever water challenges arise in the province. They claim the situation has become a recurring crisis, noting that the community also experienced severe water disruptions in December last year.

Read more: Midrand water protest called off after supply stabilises

On February 2, Rand Water confirmed that there were no inflows into Johannesburg Water’s Midrand system, with reservoir levels remaining critically low or empty. Affected reservoirs include the Erand, President Park, Grand Central, and Rabie Ridge reservoirs.

According to Rand Water, the shortages stem from a power disruption at the Palmiet pump station, which impacted water supply to the Klipfontein reservoir complex. This led to critically low reservoir levels and widespread supply interruptions within the Johannesburg Water Midrand system.

Ward councillors Lerato Mphefo and Annette Deppe have been engaging with the water entity in an attempt to resolve the crisis, including a meeting held on the evening of February 2. However, some residents feel the interventions have not been sufficient, citing the frequency of water outages in the area.

Community members say the protest was a last resort to draw urgent attention to the ongoing water challenges and to demand long-term solutions to prevent Midrand from repeatedly bearing the brunt of provincial water disruptions.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Midrand residents take to the streets demanding urgent intervention as water outages persist in Midrand and Midrand resident Thembi Maluleke says repeated water shortages have become the norm in the Midrand area, and that councillors are not helping and Resident Lynne Maclean explains that the councillors have been helping with regards to the water situation in Midrand. Video: Comfort Makhanya #caxtonlocalmedia #Localnews #News #SA #2026 #Community #Midrand #servicedelivery #Government #Fyp #johannesburg ♬ original sound Caxton Joburg North

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Moreover, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo will, on February 3, accompany Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Dada Morero, MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Jack Sekwaila, and managing director of Johannesburg Water Ntshavheni Mukwevho, to conduct an oversight visit to the Midrand reservoirs.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Ward 112 councillor Lerato Mphefo and Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe address the water situation in Midrand, and respond to allegations that they are not helping as councillors. Video: Comfort Makhanya #caxtonlocalmedia #Localnews #News #SA #2026 #Community #Midrand #servicedelivery #Government ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

The executive mayor and officials will assess the situation on site at the Johannesburg Water Midrand Depot in Carlswald, then provide an update, receive technical briefings, and implement both immediate and long-term interventions to stabilise the water supply and minimise further disruptions for residents and businesses.

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