Residents living in and around Roodepoort are being urged to prepare for possible water supply disruptions as Rand Water begins major planned maintenance work that will affect several Johannesburg Water (JW) systems from today, May 29.

According to JW, the maintenance programme will be carried out in phases between May 29 and June 2, with additional work planned for July 17. The work is expected to affect areas supplied through the Palmiet, Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes systems, including Randburg/ Roodepoort systems.

The statement notes that residents in suburbs across Roodepoort may experience low water pressure or no water during the maintenance periods, as pumping capacity at key systems will be reduced. JW warned that recovery of the system may also take several days after the maintenance has been completed.

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Suburbs that might be affected by the outage

While the entity did not release an official suburb-by-suburb list for Roodepoort, areas commonly supplied through the affected Randburg/ Roodepoort system include Ruimsig, Wilgeheuwel, Honeydew, Radiokop, Little Falls, Strubens Valley, Weltevreden Park, Allen’s Nek, Constantia Kloof, Helderkruin, Horizon View, Florida, Discovery, Roodekrans, Bergbron, Quellerina, Poortview and Amorosa.

First Phase

The first phase will see Eskom conduct maintenance at the Zuikerbosch and Palmiet systems, which will impact pumping operations for 12 hours. JW said Randburg and Roodepoort are among the areas likely to feel the effects of the reduced supply.

Further maintenance, including raw water motor replacements and valve replacement projects, will continue over several hours and days in some systems.

Second round of maintenance

A second round of maintenance is planned for July 17 and is again expected to impact Roodepoort residents for around 12 hours.

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According to JW, the maintenance work is necessary to improve the reliability and efficiency of Rand Water’s infrastructure, especially during the lower-demand winter months.

Residents are encouraged to store enough water before the planned maintenance begins and avoid waiting until the last minute to fill containers, as this places extra pressure on the system.

JW also said alternative water supply arrangements, including water tankers at strategic points, will be coordinated with ward councillors in affected communities.