Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has stated that Johannesburg’s water reservoirs are critically undersized and unable to meet the growing demand of the city, citing poor communication from municipalities on infrastructure failures as a key aggravating factor.
The Minister made these declarations on the sidelines of the African National Congress’s special national executive committee meeting being held in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
Minister Majodina revealed that the core of the problem lies in the physical capacity of the reservoirs, which are “less than the demand in terms of water supply.” She explained, “They have small reservoirs. They are unable to fill up those reservoirs because the demand is too much.”
Compounding the issue of insufficient infrastructure is the significant water loss from leaks. Minister Majodina referenced a March agreement with municipalities part of a national water task team, which set a deadline of the end of September for them to report on progress in fixing leaks. While she noted that seven municipalities have successfully addressed their leaks and are now able to fill their reservoirs, Johannesburg appears to not be among them.
The Minister heavily criticized the communication breakdown from local governments. She stated that when municipalities conduct maintenance or experience pipe bursts, “they don’t respond quickly,” leaving residents in the dark and without water for extended, unexpected periods.
To address part of the crisis, Minister Majodina said her department, through Rand Water, has “embarked on a major maintenance on all big water pipelines” that supply metros, specifically mentioning Ekurhuleni and areas up to the North West. She defended the national water utility, pushing back on complaints about water throttling. She explained that while the old water boards cannot stop water entirely, they can reduce supply to ensure they have the capacity to properly purify it.
A significant hurdle for consistent bulk water supply, according to the Minister, is non-payment by municipalities. “When municipalities are not paying, that becomes difficult,” she stated, indicating financial mismanagement at the local level impacts Rand Water’s operations.
Minister Majodina concluded by outlining a weekly meeting every Wednesday, led by the Premier and the Department of Water and Sanitation, where water issues are discussed and interventions are coordinated. She pointed to a recent incident, seemingly a major water outage, as a direct result of a failure in communication that did not reach residents.
