Government targets 90% reservoir capacity by Sunday, amid Gauteng water crisis
After touring critical water infrastructure in Midrand, including the Erand and President Park reservoirs, government leaders pledged to push Gauteng’s water system to 90% capacity by February 15.
“We have set ourselves a time frame that on Sunday [February 15] we expect that we’ll be standing at 90% in terms of all the reservoirs.”
This commitment was made by the Department of Water and Sanitation minister, Pemmy Majodina, during a media briefing at the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre in Midrand, where she reviewed water infrastructure and outlined ongoing initiatives to ensure a reliable water supply for the province.
Read more: UPDATE: Water supply improves across Midrand, Grand Central still affected
The briefing followed an oversight visit to key water infrastructure sites in Midrand, including the Erand Reservoir, the Johannesburg Grand Central Water Tower, and the President Park Reservoir. The visit formed part of a coordinated government intervention aimed at restoring a consistent water supply to affected communities.
Majodina was joined by Deputy Minister David Mahlobo, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, COGTA Deputy Minister Dr Dickson Masemola, Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure and COGTA Jacob Mamabolo, Executive Mayor Dada Morero, and senior officials from Rand Water and Johannesburg Water.
“We have received a presentation from Rand Water and Johannesburg Water. There has been a slight improvement, and residents are encouraged to continue saving water and report any leaks as we work towards a more reliable water future,” said Majodina.
Also read: Midrand residents protest ongoing water crisis
At a political level, the government has agreed with water entities to implement restrictions, but not full shutdowns. “When you restrict, you don’t shut down,” Majodina explained.
The measures include load shifting and soft locking, strategies designed to redirect water from areas that have remained stable to those experiencing severe shortages. The goal is to raise struggling reservoirs above the critical 40% capacity threshold.
@caxtonjoburgnorth WATCH: Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina gives an update on Gauteng’s water recovery efforts following an oversight visit to key Midrand reservoirs. Video: Comfort Makhanya #Midrand #Water ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
“The City of Johannesburg, as it explained yesterday, is 90% ready on the Brixton Reservoir, which is one of the biggest reservoirs that they’ve constructed, and once that is done, there will be a lot of relief. So we want to urge our communities to work with the city of Johannesburg, to work with water [entities], as we are trying to restore the entire system so that they can get water as they used to,” she explained.
“But in the meantime, we want to request everyone who has water to use that water sparingly while we’re still trying to stabilise the system… We’re happy today to say there’s a lot of progress. People are getting water, and those who are not getting water by today [February 12] will get water by tomorrow and other days. So we have set ourselves a time frame that on Sunday [February 12], we expect that we’ll be standing at 90% in terms of all the reservoirs. But our technical teams will be meeting and will be going out and checking the reservoirs that are picking up very slowly.”
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