Water cuts hit Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and four municipalities after power failure

Residents across parts of Gauteng are facing possible water shortages after a power failure at one of Rand Water’s key pumping stations disrupted supply to several municipalities.

The disruption at Mapleton Pumping Station in Boksburg has affected water pumping operations, with Rand Water warning that households and businesses in six municipalities could experience supply interruptions.

The problem started at approximately 20:35 on Monday, 2 November, after an electricity outage affected the City of Ekurhuleni’s infrastructure supplying the pumping station.

Six municipalities affected by water disruptions

According to Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo, the electricity failure brought pumping operations at Mapleton to a halt.

The affected municipalities are:

• City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
• City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
• Lesedi Local Municipality
• Govan Mbeki Local Municipality
• Victor Khanye Local Municipality
• Thembisile Hani Local Municipality

Rand Water has asked the City of Ekurhuleni to treat the electricity interruption as an emergency, given the potential impact on water supply across the affected areas.

Lightning damage delays electricity repairs

The latest update from Rand Water indicates that the situation is gradually progressing, although full restoration remains outstanding.

The City of Ekurhuleni informed the water utility that Mapleton Substation had been energised to 50% capacity.

Repairs are underway following damage to a circuit breaker caused by a lightning strike on Monday evening.

However, heavy rain, thunderstorms and continued lightning delayed repair work into Tuesday morning.

Maroo said technicians were continuing with repairs and that further updates would be communicated as progress was made.

Residents urged to prepare for possible shortages

With pumping operations affected, residents in the six municipalities may experience water supply interruptions while electricity infrastructure repairs continue.

The incident also highlights how closely water services depend on reliable electricity infrastructure, particularly in densely populated parts of Gauteng.

Although repairs are progressing, the return to full pumping capacity remains dependent on restoring electricity at Mapleton.

Residents are encouraged to use available water responsibly while the situation develops.

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