Rand Water Restores Eikenhof Pumping Station, but Joburg Residents Still Waiting for Relief

Power back on, but taps still dry

Johannesburg’s long-running water woes resurfaced this weekend when a power outage crippled Rand Water’s Eikenhof pumping station, leaving large parts of the city dry just as a heatwave swept across Gauteng. By Monday, Rand Water confirmed the facility was back at full capacity, but for many residents, relief has been slow to arrive.

Communities hit hardest

The outage, which struck late on Saturday, 6 September, immediately rippled across the city. By Sunday morning, households in Randburg, Soweto, and central Johannesburg were already struggling with trickling taps or none at all. The timing couldn’t have been worse, with soaring temperatures adding to the frustration.

On social media, #JoburgWater trended throughout the weekend as residents shared pictures of empty buckets and bone-dry sinks. Some vented their anger at what they called a “repeated failure of basic services,” while others compared notes on which suburbs still had tankers on standby.

Slow climb back to normal

According to Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala, the return of power to Eikenhof doesn’t mean an immediate return to normal. Water systems depend on reservoirs and towers that take time to refill before pressure stabilises across the network.

“We have noted improved inflows, but the system remains constrained,” Shabalala explained, pointing to ongoing issues at several key supply points, including the Commando system, Waterval tower, Quellerina tower, Crown Gardens reservoir, Eagles Nest reservoir, and Naturena reservoir.

To ease the strain, water tankers have been dispatched to priority areas such as hospitals, schools, and vulnerable neighbourhoods. Still, many suburbs, especially in Randburg’s Ferndale, Fontainebleau, and Kensington Breported intermittent supply or no water at all by Monday evening.

A pattern of outages

This is far from the first time Joburg residents have faced prolonged shortages linked to power failures at Rand Water’s pumping stations. Each incident reignites debate about the city’s fragile infrastructure and whether both Rand Water and City Power are doing enough to prevent such widespread disruptions.

For many, the crisis feels familiar: weeks of intermittent supply, warnings to conserve water, and uncertainty about when things will truly stabilise. Community forums and WhatsApp groups across Soweto and the northern suburbs echoed the same sentiment: Joburgers are tired of temporary fixes.

What happens next

While Rand Water insists that the system will recover gradually over the coming days, the message to residents is clearuse water sparingly. With summer approaching and demand expected to spike, Johannesburg’s water infrastructure remains under pressure.

For now, Joburgers are keeping buckets and JoJo tanks close at hand, waiting for taps to run again. As one Randburg resident posted online: “We’re told things are improving. But until I can take a shower without planning it like a military operation, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

{Source: IOL}

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