No Power, No Water: Northern Johannesburg Residents Struggle Amid Infrastructure Failures

Residents in northern Johannesburg are now struggling without water after enduring five days of electricity outages, as power failures cripple essential infrastructure.

Johannesburg Water confirmed that a City Power outage had impacted the Northcliff Pump Station and tower, preventing water from being pumped to multiple areas.

“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 stated.

The water shortage is affecting several neighborhoods, including Northcliff and its extensions 1-3, 6-8, 12, 14, 15, 25, and 30-32, as well as Waterval Estate, Greymont, and Valeriedene.

According to Johannesburg Water, residents in these areas “will experience poor pressure to no flow” until power is restored. However, the utility has not provided a timeline for when the issue will be resolved.

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The water crisis follows a series of electricity problems in Fairlands and other parts of northern Johannesburg, which have persisted for five days.

Local councillor Zander Shawe expressed frustration with the ongoing crisis, revealing that 13 load centres were still down by Sunday morning.

“I finally got hold of the team leader on the ground in Fairland. They are busy in the area, but access to some sites has been restricted because they are locked or on private property,” Shawe said.

Despite teams working to restore power, many residents were still in the dark by Sunday afternoon, with City Power struggling to manage a flood of service requests. Over the weekend, the utility received more than 5,000 calls, reporting over 100 power plants out of service across Johannesburg.

Planned Water Cuts Deepen the Crisis

Adding to residents’ frustration, Johannesburg Water announced additional planned water shutoffs in Sandton as part of what they call “ongoing water demand management initiatives.”

The shutdown, scheduled for Sunday night, is expected to impact:

• Linbro Park Direct Feed
• Linbro Park Reservoir
• Marlboro Direct Feed
• Marlboro Reservoir
• Illovo Reservoir and Tower
• Bryanston Reservoir and Tower
• Morningside Reservoir

“The Linbro Park and Marlboro direct feeds will be affected the most during these interventions, and all customers fed by the Sandton System may experience poor pressure to no water overnight,” Johannesburg Water explained.

These maintenance activities come at a time when the city’s infrastructure appears to be crumbling under the pressure of power failures and water shortages. With no clear end in sight, frustrated residents are left to wonder how long Johannesburg’s essential services can withstand the strain.

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