Residents in parts of Randburg have been left frustrated and desperate after going several days without a reliable water supply, while clear answers from Johannesburg Water remain limited.
Areas affected include Windsor, Robindale, Cresta, and parts of Northcliff, with residents along Monkor Road among the hardest hit. Many households have reported dry taps for days, while others say water only returns briefly before disappearing again.
Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs confirmed that she formally followed up with Johannesburg Water on February 9, after receiving numerous complaints from residents.
Read more: Frustration for ward councillor as 3-year-old water leak goes unfixed
At the time, there was no clear explanation for the outage, no restoration plan, and no confirmed deployment of water tankers or emergency tanks.
“The situation is unacceptable. Residents cannot live like this, especially without proper communication or contingency plans.”
According to feedback later received by the councillor, the water interruption is linked to a reduction in bulk water supply from Rand Water to Johannesburg Water. Rand Water issued a media statement on February 7, stating that exceptionally high water consumption had led to lower reservoir levels.
This reduction affected key reservoirs, including the Linden reservoir, which supplies large parts of the affected areas. Johannesburg Water was aware of the reduced supply from that date.
Johannesburg Water indicated that because the issue is linked to bulk supply and reservoir levels, rather than a local pipe burst, the focus has been on allowing reservoirs to recover, instead of deploying water tankers immediately.
Residents are currently experiencing intermittent supply, with water sometimes returning in the early morning or late morning, only to disappear again by mid-afternoon. This has made it difficult for households to plan daily activities, such as cooking, bathing, and cleaning.
At present, no fixed restoration deadline has been given. Johannesburg Water said that full restoration depends on reservoir levels stabilising, which is difficult due to fluctuating supply from Rand Water.
Also read: Church Street leaks fixed, but road not restored
Jacobs has criticised both Rand Water and Johannesburg Water for what she describes as poor planning and communication. She said blaming residents for high water consumption is unfair, especially when large volumes of water are lost daily through leaks and burst pipes across the city. “Water leaks are running down streets all over Johannesburg.”
She pointed to examples in Linden, Northcliff, and surrounding areas. “That water loss must be a major contributor to the problem.” She added that there have been no proper contingency plans in place, such as water tankers, JoJo tanks, or stationary tanks, for residents who have had little or no water for days.
Jacobs has formally requested an urgent plan of action from Johannesburg Water and says she will continue engaging officials until residents receive clear answers and emergency water support.
In the meantime, residents remain on edge, waiting for updates and hoping for the deployment of water tankers as the ward office continues to pressure the utility to act. We contacted Johannesburg Water for comment and will publish it as soon as it is received.
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