Johannesburg Water (JW) has admitted that payment delays, not a lack of funding, have stalled work on the Hursthill 2 reservoir rehabilitation, leaving the contractor off–site despite the project being fully budgeted for by the City.

The admission supports Ward 87 councillor Kyle Jacobs’ claim that rehabilitation of the reservoir and the wider Commando Water System has been repeatedly delayed because contractors were not paid. JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala confirmed the contractor is currently off–site due to delayed payments.

Read more: Johannesburg Water breaks silence over payment dispute at Hursthill reservoir construction

“The Hursthill 2 reservoir rehabilitation project is currently 20% complete overall, with work inside the reservoir approximately 70% complete,” she said. The reservoir is a critical part of the Commando Water System, which supplies suburbs including Emmarentia, Melville, Brixton, Westbury, Coronationville and surrounding areas. The rehabilitation aims to improve storage capacity and strengthen long–term reliability after years of recurring outages. Originally scheduled for completion in April this year, the project has been postponed several times. Work inside the reservoir is expected to conclude by December, but overall completion has now been pushed to 29 March 2027.

Residents said the delays are worsening an already fragile supply. Emmarentia resident Vaunn Kelly argued that Joburg’s water crisis is self–inflicted after years of deprioritising essential services. “This has left woefully insufficient resources for essential services like water, electricity and roads.”

Kelly added that residents have long called for ring–fencing of water revenue to ensure JW can deliver projects on time. “This delay means that we residents may have to endure even poorer supply while going through what is expected to be a very hot summer fueled by El Niño weather patterns.”

Shabalala attributed the repeated setbacks to procurement challenges involving specialist valves and fittings, as well as contractor cash–flow constraints caused by outstanding payments. Despite this, JW stressed the project is funded. “As a mandatory step in the procurement process, the availability of funds was verified against the approved medium–term revenue and expenditure framework,” she said, adding that no additional funding had been requested from the City.

Also read: Hursthill 2 hits a wall as unpaid contractors down tools in protest

JW also confirmed that the new bulk pipeline linking the network to Rand Water’s Eikenhof infrastructure is about 55% complete but has faced late payments, adverse weather and difficult ground conditions. Although the Hursthill rehabilitation was initiated as part of JW’s non–revenue water strategy to reduce losses and improve performance, the utility acknowledged that delays would postpone those benefits.

Still, JW pointed to progress elsewhere. The commissioning of the new Brixton reservoir has already improved water stability across parts of the network. “The utility acknowledges the severe frustration caused by ongoing water outages and appeals to residents for patience. To establish a sustainable long–term water supply, JW is investing roughly R1b into upgrading the Commando Water System infrastructure.

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