Frustrated Midrand residents slam City of Joburg over water outages

Frustrated residents in Midrand and surrounding areas say they have reached breaking point, accusing Rand Water of repeated failures and empty promises as taps remain dry for days on end.

Many claim they have been without water for nearly a week, saying prolonged outages have become a routine hardship rather than an exception.

Rand Water says the disruptions were caused by a combination of power failures and maintenance at key pumping stations, which resulted in no inflow into several reservoirs. As a result, reservoirs including Diepsloot, Erand, Rabie Ridge and Grand Central were left critically low or empty, significantly slowing the recovery of water supply.

🚨Media Statement 🚨
As a follow-up to previous Media Statements, Rand Water would like to advise its customers and consumers that its systems have fully recovered and pumping is at full capacity.#RWWaterSupply #RWWaterDemandManagement #RWInfrastructure
[NS] pic.twitter.com/tmjdoZBNmA

— Rand Water (@Rand_Water) February 3, 2026

Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Dada Morero, has confirmed that four of the five affected reservoirs supplying Midrand have since been reopened, with water levels gradually recovering.

Earlier today, we held a media briefing to share an update on the water supply challenges affecting parts of Midrand. These issues have resulted from a series of incidents within the Rand Water bulk supply system over the past week, which have unfortunately caused disruptions to… pic.twitter.com/9M4RbKixyE

— Executive Mayor of the City Of Joburg (@DadaMorero) February 3, 2026

Despite the City’s assurance that alternative water supplies will continue to be provided, residents say these measures are insufficient. Some took to the streets, demanding urgent intervention and clearer timelines for the full restoration of supply.

A large crowd gathered on the R55 in Laudium @CityTshwane demanding water.

Residents have demanded answers from @Rand_Water

Ward councillor @naeempatelSA says residents are understandably angry. He says a memorandum will be submitted to the @PublicProtector @CityTshwane… https://t.co/5pmafM054I pic.twitter.com/MprYdVJ5lf

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) February 2, 2026

Rand Water has reiterated that the lack of inflow at several reservoirs continues to hamper recovery, further fuelling frustration among affected communities.

Some residents have accused the City of repeatedly failing to deliver basic services, saying communities are left to suffer whenever the system comes under strain.

@geraldmush1

Midrand is the pits 😩🤦‍♂️#midrand #nowater @Nosi #randwater #joziwatercrisis

♬ ha.a man tloyo Jeso – DMP 🦁🎧

Water is now a luxury in Midrand. There is no water again throughout Midrand 😭

After spending an entire week in December without water, it’s happening again now in January.

— Thabiso M. (@thabisomoyo__) January 28, 2026

I’ve been working in Midrand for a while, and almost every year there’s a new development going up. I can’t help but feel sorry for residents, cos traffic is a nightmare. And now, water issues.

— Thokozane Maloka (@iamtmaloka) February 3, 2026

@shuhshu11

At this point I feel like we are punished for what I don’t know 😭😭#midrandtwaterissues#fyp#trendingvideo#viral

♬ Umdali – Jinji. & Ovuyonke

Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League has also weighed in, calling on the ANC-led government to urgently intervene in what it describes as a deepening national water crisis.

The organisation has warned that ongoing shortages are crippling households, schools, clinics and small businesses, particularly in working-class communities.