Furious Johannesburg residents have again been left stranded without water following delayed emergency repairs to the Commando system, sparking health concerns and community outrage across several suburbs.
Repairs drag on as deadline passes
On Thursday evening, Johannesburg Water (JW) put out a notice saying emergency repairs and maintenance had to be carried out on the Hurst Hill 2 interlink valve. “This requires stopping at the Crosby Pump Station for a few hours tonight. The maintenance is essential and expected to assist in ensuring reliability of managing the interlink supply,” the notice said.
However, by Friday afternoon the repairs were still ongoing, even though JW said they would be completed by midday. In a message at 3pm, JW said the maintenance was delayed and would be completed by 18:00.
There has been no water in Coronationville, Westbury, Melville, Brixton, Parktown West, Emmarentia, Greenside, Mayfair, Bosmont, Sophiatown, Auckland Park, Westdene, and Fordsburg since Thursday evening. The Commando system also feeds the Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph hospitals, as well as key institutions such as the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the SABC.
Health crisis unfolds as residents struggle
Brixton residents have borne the brunt of these supply issues, with intermittent water supplies for the past month.
Resident Adrienne Boscombe said: “A severe humanitarian and public health crisis is unfolding in Brixton where systemic infrastructure failure by Johannesburg Water has left vulnerable residents – including the elderly and medically compromised – without water.
“The consequences are catastrophic, the residents face rising incidents of bladder infections and sepsis, alongside financial extortion, paying an astronomical R1 per litre for private water. Furthermore, municipal water tankers are unreliable and deploy only during work hours. The prolonged stress has sparked a psychological ‘water war,’ dividing neighbours and paralysing community action,” she said.
Boscombe, who lives in Putney Road, said because the road is at a topographically high point, it is scientifically impossible for homes to fill back-up systems under low grid pressure.
A severe humanitarian and public health crisis is unfolding in Brixton where systemic infrastructure failure by Johannesburg Water has left vulnerable residents – including the elderly and medically compromised – without water.
She said the lack of water has directly compromised food security and basic hygiene.
Another Brixton resident, Sakura Butler, said she was not coping at all. “I can’t remember when last I had a shower. I have become so used to bucket bathing – when I collect enough water or when we eventually get a water truck, which is usually 3-4 days after our taps have gone dry. I’ve isolated myself socially a lot because I just feel so gross and unclean so often. And don’t get me started on the hygiene issues with not being able to flush the toilet regularly.
A Mayfair resident posted on WhatsApp: “We are as dry as the Sahara and Namibia! No water from 5pm last night! What a wonderful first-class city we live in where there’s NO WATER and ELECTRICITY every other day! All this whilst pockets are lined with thousands every other day! STOP what you are doing Joburg Water!! Enough is enough!”
Michelle Pietersen, from Coronationville, has had no water for the past week. “And there is no explanation for this, we just get the same message from Joburg Water, they just change the date on the notice.
“It’s very bad here. I have a big family, and each one must use a bucket to clean. I am 58 and carrying buckets. Our children must go to school and their uniforms need washing; we can’t do that now,” she said.
While tankers have been delivering water to her neighbourhood, Pietersen said it was unacceptable that the “millions they spend on tankers could be spent putting water in our taps. Why are we running with buckets to the streets when we should be opening our taps to get water?”
Contractors walk off over unpaid bills
The Hurst Hill 2 reservoir, which has been leaking for many years, was supposed to have been fixed this year, but the contractor has walked off the job several times due to non-payment. The same has happened with the Crosby complex repairs, where the contractor walked off the job in early August due to non-payment. JW has apparently made arrangements to pay off the debt. The Hurst Hill 2 repairs are now only scheduled for completion sometime next year.
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New reservoir fails to deliver on promises
In April, City officials said the opening of the new Brixton Reservoir and Water Tower marked a milestone for water security in the city.
The project boasts a 26-megalitre ground reservoir, a 2-megalitre tower, a 200-litre-per-second pump station and bulk pipelines that reconfigure and optimise the entire supply system.
Executive Mayor Dada Morero said the opening was a major step forward in Johannesburg’s commitment to reliable and sustainable water services. “This project addresses long-standing water supply challenges in Brixton, Crosby, and Hursthill, and is the result of strategic planning, investment, and collaboration.
“The new system improves infrastructure reliability, capacity, and flexibility. Storage has increased from 20 to 46 megalitres in the reservoir, and from 1 to 3 megalitres in the tower. This development forms part of the City’s broader effort to strengthen water system fundamentals and meet future demand, despite financial constraints and competing priorities,” he said.
But this rings hollow for residents in the area who have dealt with persistent and constant water supply issues since the new complex was commissioned. The announcement that the project has also been nominated for an award at the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) 2026 national awards has been met with howls of disbelief.
Yesterday morning the Brixton reservoir was listed as critical at 22% full, the tower was empty and the Crosby reservoir was critical at 35%. Tankers were dispatched from early in the morning. A midday update had only the Crosby reservoir supplying water; all the other systems were in the red and not supplying.
- This story was produced by Our City News, a non-profit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg.
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