Ward 102 councillor Bea Campbell-Cloete has criticised Johannesburg Water’s call for residents to reduce consumption while a months-long pipe burst on Pretoria Avenue continues to waste drinking water.

The pipe burst on Pretoria Avenue in Ferndale has been running for more than six months, while Johannesburg Water struggles to repair the damaged underground infrastructure, causing further road degradation on Dover Street and Oak Avenue. On July 30, Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala attributed the Pretoria Avenue leak to ageing infrastructure and ground vibrations caused by the pipeline’s location in the middle of the road.

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Shabalala said the affected steel pipeline would need to be replaced with new infrastructure, confirming that the entity had plans to replace ageing water networks in the area, subject to capital expenditure funding.

Campbell-Cloete said she had been escalating the issue and conducting oversight, but the problem remained unresolved. She said it was disgraceful that the leak remained unrepaired after months, with thousands of litres of treated drinking water pouring down the road daily, wasting a precious resource and further damaging the road surface.

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Meanwhile, Shabalala explained that the entity was experiencing significant strain on its water supply systems due to high consumption, which was placing pressure on bulk supply and affecting the ability of reservoirs and towers to maintain sufficient storage. “Over the past few weeks, as temperatures soared, the City of Johannesburg has continued to experience week-on-week high water consumption,” said Shabalala. “Residents and businesses are urgently requested to reduce consumption, avoid using drinking water for non-essential activities and comply with the level 1 water restrictions currently in effect.”

Campbell-Cloete said the irony of Johannesburg Water urging residents to use water sparingly while the city allows this ongoing wastage is staggering. “Residents are expected to conserve water while the very entity responsible for managing it fails to stop the loss.

“This is not just incompetence; it is a failure of accountability, and ratepayers are left to pay the price.”

Questions were sent to Johannesburg Water, but no response was received by the time of publication.

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