Brace for It: Joburg’s Scheduled 12-Hour Water Outages to Hit Multiple Suburbs

Crucial maintenance brings planned water interruptions, find out if your area is affected.

If you’re living in Johannesburg, now’s the time to top up your water storage containers and rethink your laundry schedule. Johannesburg Water has announced a series of planned 12-hour water outages across multiple suburbs in the coming week, citing critical maintenance as the cause. While the disruptions are temporary, they’re expected to affect thousands of households, leaving residents with either low pressure or no supply at all.

Why Is This Happening Now?

According to Johannesburg Water, the interruptions are tied to essential maintenance work being done in coordination with the Johannesburg Roads Agency. The upgrades involve replacing meters and converting open drains to sub-surface drainage, work aimed at modernising infrastructure and improving long-term water delivery.

Region D: Brace for Wednesday

The first round of outages hits Region D on Wednesday, 23 July, running from 8am to 5:30pm.

Affected Area:

• All streets in Bramfischerville Phase 4

This work is tied to road upgrades, so residents should expect a full day of water woes.

Region C: Monday and Beyond

If you’re in Region C, expect interruptions beginning Monday evening, 28 July at 6pm, stretching into Tuesday morning, 29 July at 6am. This is due to meter replacement work.

Suburbs impacted:

• Honeydew

• Cornelius

• Weltevreden HP

• Weltevreden

• Corrimore

But that’s not the end of it. On 30 July, more maintenance is scheduled between 6am and 8pm, this time for the installation of magnet flow meters.

Affected streets:

• Abbatoir

• Market

During all these periods, residents can expect either no water or very low pressure.

Illovo System Update: Progress, But Not Fully Restored

On a slightly more optimistic note, Joburg Water also provided an update on the Illovo water system, which has been under strain due to previous maintenance by Rand Water.

Reservoirs supplying the Illovo tower are still restricted to 90% capacity, while others are back to 100%. Areas such as Sandown, Morningside, Strathavon, and the Sandton CBD are seeing gradual improvement.

However, high-lying areas like Atholl may still face low pressure or patchy supply as airlocks are cleared from the system. Flushing operations are in progress, but there’s still no firm date for full restoration.

Water Tankers on Standby

To ease the inconvenience, water tankers will be dispatched to support affected communities. Johannesburg Water has encouraged residents to report emergencies and keep an eye on official updates via their social media channels.

Joburg Locals React: “Here We Go Again”

On platforms like Twitter and Facebook, Joburgers expressed a mix of frustration and weary acceptance.
“Hope my geyser doesn’t act up again,” one resident from Honeydew posted.
Another quipped, “Joburg Water and load shedding must be in a competition.”

The city has seen a series of water-related issues over the past year, from burst pipes to collapsing infrastructure. These latest outages, while planned, are a stark reminder of Joburg’s ongoing water delivery challenges, particularly as demand grows and infrastructure ages.

Plan Ahead, Stay Hydrated

Whether it’s filling bathtubs, buying extra drinking water, or simply staying informed, preparation will be key to navigating next week’s disruptions. Johannesburg Water has assured residents that the planned maintenance is for the greater good, promising better service continuity in the long run.

In the meantime, Joburgers can only grit their teeth, plan ahead, and hope that the taps run freely once the work is done.