High water consumption continues to place severe pressure on Pretoria’s already strained water infrastructure, with the metro issuing a fresh update on the weekend of February 14, warning that recovery remains uneven across the metro.

The recovery of Rand Water’s Hartebeeshoek system has resumed supply to support the metro’s Region 1 reservoirs, bringing some relief to communities in the north.

Metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said that Kruisfontein, Mabopane Main and Soshanguve L are showing signs of improvement, while Mabopane Central and Soshanguve DD remain stable.

However, the Mabopane Reservoir is still in a critical state, warned Bokaba.

Although Soshanguve L is improving, levels remain too low to adequately supply tower areas, and a temporary outlet restriction may be implemented to allow for further build-up.

In Regions 3 and 4, high consumption is now beginning to impact previously stable systems.

Pretoriusrand and Atteridgeville HL reservoirs have slipped into critical status, while Laudium remains stable but under pressure, explained Bokaba.

He confirmed on the weekend that most reservoirs citywide were stable and coping for now, but also stressed that sustained inflow and significantly lower consumption are essential to ensure full recovery.

Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo said on February 13 that the utility continues to operate at maximum capacity.

“Rand Water continues to pump at full capacity in Gauteng. However, high consumption across the system means recovery remains uneven, and some areas may experience temporary supply interruptions as the network stabilises,” she said.

Maroo added that residents who currently have water should use it sparingly to support equitable distribution and ease pressure on the system.

She confirmed that Rand Water is working closely with the City of Johannesburg, the City of Ekurhuleni and the City of Tshwane, which are deploying water tankers to affected communities.

The February 14 update follows the metro’s statement on February 13, confirming that several key reservoirs were critically low or empty, raising concerns about ongoing outages and supply stability.

Bokaba said at the time that the city was working around the clock to manage the crisis.

He explained that the situation at the Klapperkop Reservoir had deteriorated significantly last week.

“We are continuing to experience high water consumption across the metro, which is placing significant strain on our systems and slowing down recovery efforts,” said Bokaba.

“Our technical teams, together with Rand Water, are implementing interventions to stabilise supply and restore reservoir levels as quickly as possible.”

Technical teams from Rand Water and the metro were deployed on site to assess system pressures and implement corrective measures.

As part of major system interventions, supply to the Louwlardia, Brakfontein, Bakenkop and Rooihuiskraal reservoirs was temporarily closed from 20:00 on February 12 until 05:00 on February 13 to redirect water and support northern systems in Region 1.

At the time, Rand Water’s Klipfontein Reservoir showed improved stability, enabling increased supply to the Hartebeeshoek system and helping to build pressure in networks supplying Mabopane, Kruisfontein, Klipgat and Soshanguve L.

While some eastern areas supplied by the Garsfontein Reservoir experienced temporary interruptions, Elardus Park and Garsfontein began recovering, with water restored to some consumers overnight.

The metro has repeatedly urged residents not to panic-store water and to avoid non-essential use, warning that excessive consumption could rapidly reverse gains made through system interventions.

Further updates are expected as monitoring continues.

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