Johannesburg Water breaks silence over payment dispute at Hursthill reservoir construction
The utility says payment challenges extend beyond one contractor as workers demand urgent action.
Johannesburg Water (JW) says it is working with the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) to address outstanding payments to service providers, following a protest by workers linked to the Hursthill 2 reservoir project outside the utility’s Newtown offices on August 7.
Workers of Mapitsi Civil Works replaced their tools with placards in protest of not receiving payment now for over three months.
Read more: Hursthill 2 hits a wall as unpaid contractors down tools in protest
JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala stated that they aware of concerns regarding outstanding payments to service providers.
However, Shabalala stressed that the current payment challenges are not unique to any single service provider, but affect a number of suppliers across the entity.
“We are working closely with the City of Johannesburg to address the matter.
As funds are received from CoJ, payments to service providers will be processed in accordance with established financial governance processes.”
She added that, at this stage, JW is unable provide service provider-specific payment timelines.
@caxtonjoburgnorth Workers protest outside of the Johannesburg Water offices at Turbine Hall over alleged non-payment on August 7, 2026 in Newtown. Video: Waydon Jacobs #viral #Johannesburg #March #BreakingNews ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
“Service providers are updated directly by the finance department regarding the status of payments and any payment-related enquiries.”
The publication will continue monitoring developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates
