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Midrand water update: Supply slowly returns as outages drag into day SEVEN
thesouthafrican.com
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Some Midrand residents’ taps began running again from Wednesday, as Johannesburg Water began a phased restoration of supply following days of disruptions across the area. Johannesburg Water operations manager Gugulethu Quma said recovery efforts are now showing progress, with water gradu...
Some Midrand residents’ taps began running again from Wednesday, as Johannesburg Water began a phased restoration of supply following days of disruptions across the area.
Johannesburg Water operations manager Gugulethu Quma said recovery efforts are now showing progress, with water gradually being released from key reservoirs.
“It will take us about three days to stabilise the entire system, but it doesn’t mean customers will only get water after three days,” Quma told 94.7 on Wednesday.
“Some customers will receive water today and tomorrow some will have poor pressure as we are stabilising the system.”
At a media briefing on Tuesday, the City of Johannesburg said improvements had already been recorded at the Erand, Diepsloot, Rabie Ridge and President Park reservoirs, with outlets being opened in a controlled manner to support system recovery.
Low-lying areas are receiving water first, and supply is expected to extend to higher-lying areas as reservoir levels rise.
However, the City warned that Grand Central Reservoir was its main concern.
“Water levels here remain low and are not yet sufficient to support a sustained supply to all dependent areas,” said City mayor Dada Morero.
“This reservoir will continue to be closely managed as part of the broader system recovery process.”
Day seven without water
Frustration remains high in parts of Midrand, with some residents reporting that they’ve had dry taps for seven days in a row.
Tensions boiled over on Tuesday as disgruntled Midrand residents protested the prolonged outages.
The City has assured the public that roaming water tankers remain active in affected areas. It added that tanker deployment may shift as conditions change, to ensure that supply meets demand.
Officials have urged residents and businesses to continue using water sparingly during the recovery period.
How the crisis started
The City of Johannesburg blamed the disruption on a series of incidents within Rand Water’s bulk supply system over the past week, which directly affected Johannesburg Water’s Midrand network.
The first major problem emerged on 26 January, when Rand Water informed Johannesburg Water of emergency repair work at the Palmiet Pump Station. The pump station had to be isolated for repairs, and delays extended the work beyond initial expectations.
A day later, a power trip at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Treatment Plant affected the Eikenhof and Zwartkoppies supply systems. Although some pumping capacity was restored, the overall volume feeding into the Palmiet system remained severely reduced.
On 31 January, another power failure at the Palmiet Pump Station further destabilised the network and caused critically low levels at the Klipfontein Reservoir, which supplies Midrand. A leak was also detected at Klipfontein on 1 February, and repairs were completed by 2 February.
The city said restoring stability and reliable supply remains its priority, as Midrand’s growing demand continues to strain existing infrastructure.
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