Residents of Johannesburg should brace for significant water supply disruptions as Rand Water prepares to conduct extensive maintenance on its Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes pump stations from December 13 to 16.
According to Rand Water, the planned work aims to enhance the reliability and efficiency of its infrastructure, yet it has sparked anger among locals and political parties alike.
In a customer notice, the maintenance at the Eikenhof Pump Station, lasting 86 hours, will leave thousands without water from 7am on December 13 until the 16th.
Additionally, the Zwartkopjes Pump Station will undergo 36 hours of maintenance, commencing at 5am on the same day, resulting in poor pressure or complete water outages for residents served by this facility.
Criticism of this planned maintenance is echoing across social media, with many residents expressing their frustration at Rand Water’s scheduling choice. The DA has vocally opposed the timing, characterising it as emblematic of poor planning.
“This maintenance is slated to take place over 86 hours... but experience shows that scheduled maintenance never sticks to schedule, and restarting the water supply takes days,” said DA’s Nicole van Dyk, Johannesburg Shadow MMC for Infrastructure.
According to Van Dyk, previous experience with similar maintenance activities suggests that recovery in the water supply can take up to two weeks, especially during the hottest month of the year when families gather to celebrate Christmas.
“Two weeks to recover is unacceptable — especially when taps run dry.”
Johannesburg Water announced it will coordinate alternative water supplies through tankers for areas affected by the outages.
Progress reports will be provided throughout the maintenance period to keep residents informed. This provision of water tankers, while a noble effort, is also symptomatic of the broader issues surrounding water supply management in Johannesburg.
Furthermore, the DA has urged Rand Water to reconsider its maintenance schedule, likening the situation to that of a failing Grinch aiming to sabotage the festivities.
The party plans to formally communicate with both Rand Water and Johannesburg Water to demand a reassessment of the maintenance timeline, advocating for measures that would prevent such disruptions during the holiday season.
Many residents have voiced their frustrations on X, fearing the impact these disruptions will have on their daily lives and holiday celebrations.
One user, identified as Warrefer1, expressed their concerns, stating: “86 hours from 7 am on the 13th is 9 pm on the 16th? You are aware that it’s a long weekend, right? Not a low demand as stated. You’re doing work over the long weekend in December? This isn’t Eskom, where it’s lower demand; your lower demand is June/July.”
Another X user, Tanya, is among residents who vented their grievances and said, “Why 3 days? This is not maintenance but a way to restrict everyone from using water because the dams are drying out. Why must we suffer like this? Some women go through things during the month, and now there will be no water; this is just against our human rights.”
The Star has attempted to get comment from Rand Water and Johannesburg Water were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Areas affected by the Eikenhof Pump Station’s maintenance include:
Soweto
Randburg/Roodepoort
Commando
Lenasia
Parts of Johannesburg central, including Eagles Nest, Crown Gardens, Aeroton, and Alan Manor reservoirs.
Impact from the Zwartkopjes Pump Station will affect:
Crown Gardens
Eagles Nest Reservoir
Parks Town
Berea
Forrest Hill
Alan Manor
Naturena
Aeroton
Orlando East
Hector Norris Pump Station.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za