Rand Water Maintenance Begins: Major Water Disruptions Expected Across Gauteng and Mpumalanga

In an effort to increase long-term supply reliability and expand the system’s capacity by 600 million liters, the state-owned water utility is currently engaged in one of its biggest infrastructure improvements to date. On Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 3 a.m., the work officially began.

Speaking at a media briefing, Mahlomola Mehlo, the chief operations officer for Rand Water, stated that the prolonged shutdown is about more than just maintenance. Mehlo clarified, “We are commissioning new infrastructure that gives us greater flexibility, especially as we head into the high-demand summer season.”

During the shutdown, what is going on?

The project includes a number of crucial tasks:

• Linking recently built pipelines
• Putting in pumps and changing out outdated valves to provide redundancy
• Repairing leaks and cleaning reservoirs
• To increase supply in southern areas, a new meter is being installed in Ekurhuleni.

For the duration of the project, the Mapleton pumping station, a significant network hub, will be totally closed.

“This is a delicate and technical process. We’re dealing with high-pressure pipelines, so you can’t just turn things on and off. Mehlo warned that a hasty restart could result in disastrous pipe bursts.

Who is going to be impacted?

Several municipalities will be impacted by the maintenance:

• Ekurhuleni City
• Tshwane City
• The municipalities of Govan Mbeki and Victor Khanye in Mpumalanga
• large areas of Johannesburg, such as
• Sandton
• Park Alexandra
• The South Hills
• Linksfield
• The Midrand
• Klipriviersberg
• Johannesburg Central, which includes Alan Manor, Eagles Nest, Crown Gardens, and Aeroton

Due to the time required to restore the system, residents—especially those in high-lying areas—may continue to experience low water pressure or extended outages even after the work is finished.

How are residents being assisted?

Mehlo promised that updates would be sent through official channels and that municipalities are organizing water tankers. “We’ve given municipalities plenty of notice. The internal reticulation systems of each municipality will determine the recovery timeframe,” he continued.

Why now?

Rand Water claims that in order to prevent future crises, this preventive maintenance is crucial. “This is a deliberate attempt to fortify our system and ensure that millions of people have access to clean water.” By taking this action now, we can prevent unforeseen malfunctions in the future,” Mehlo stated.

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