Northern Joburg residents face water shortages amid widespread power outages! Residents in parts of northern Johannesburg are grappling with dry taps after enduring five days of persistent power outages. The water supply disruption is the latest in a series of infrastructure challenges affecting the city, with no immediate resolution in sight.
Power Outage Halts Water Pumping
The current water crisis stems from an outage at the Northcliff Pump Station and tower, which supplies water to several neighborhoods. Johannesburg Water confirmed that a power failure, caused by a City Power outage, has halted water pumping in the area.
“As a result of the power outage, there is currently no pumping, which will lead to water supply disruptions as the Northcliff tower is low,” the utility said in a statement.
Affected areas include:
- Northcliff (Extensions 1-3, 6-8, 12, 14, 15, 25, and 30-32)
- Waterval Estate and Waterval Estate Extension 5
- Greymont
- Valeriedene
According to Johannesburg Water, residents in these areas “will experience poor pressure to no flow during this period.” Unfortunately, the utility has provided no estimated time for restoration, stating only that “pumping will resume once power is restored.”
City Power Struggles with Widespread Outages
The water shortage has only worsened the ongoing electricity crisis in Fairland and other parts of northern Johannesburg. Many residents have been without power for five consecutive days, leading to frustration and widespread disruptions to homes, businesses, and essential services.
Local councillor Zander Shawe voiced his concern about the prolonged outages in a statement on Sunday.
“I finally got hold of the team leader on the ground in Fairland. They are busy in the area, as per communication on various platforms from City Power. There are 13 load centres off,” Shawe said.
One of the biggest obstacles in restoring power, he explained, is that some areas remain inaccessible at night due to locked gates or restricted entry.
“If they could have had power, it would have been restored already. They are busy, and the operators are on their way, where they will go to each load centre,” Shawe added.
Despite these assurances, residents continued to report outages on Sunday afternoon, with no clear timeline for full restoration.
City Power revealed that it had received more than 5,000 calls over 24 hours during the weekend. Additionally, over 100 power plants across Johannesburg were out of service, highlighting the scale of the crisis.
Planned Water Shutoffs in Sandton Add to Residents’ Woes
As if the unplanned water disruptions weren’t enough, Johannesburg Water has announced scheduled water shutoffs in Sandton as part of its “water demand management initiatives.”
“As part of water demand management efforts, Johannesburg Water will be closing the Sandton meters tomorrow, Sunday, 9 March 2025, from 18:00 until 05:00 Monday morning,” the utility stated.
The shutdown is intended to balance water distribution across Johannesburg’s strained supply network. However, many residents argue that these planned interruptions are poorly timed, given the current power and water crises.
The planned shutdown will affect the following areas:
- Linbro Park Direct Feed
- Linbro Park Reservoir
- Marlboro Direct Feed
- Marlboro Reservoir
- Illovo Reservoir and Tower
- Bryanston Reservoir and Tower
- Morningside Reservoir
According to Johannesburg Water, the Linbro Park and Marlboro direct feeds will be hit the hardest, with customers across Sandton likely to experience poor water pressure or no water at all overnight.
A City Under Pressure
The combined effect of power failures and water disruptions has left many Johannesburg residents frustrated and struggling to cope. Local observers warn that the city’s infrastructure is on the verge of collapse, as essential services fail under growing demand and mismanagement.
For many affected residents, the uncertainty is the most frustrating aspect. With no clear timelines for restoring power and no guarantees that water supplies will return soon, many fear that these crises will become a regular occurrence.
While Johannesburg Water and City Power continue working to restore services, the city’s aging infrastructure and repeated service failures suggest that these problems may not be resolved anytime soon.
For now, residents are urged to conserve water, report outages promptly, and brace for further disruptions in the coming days.