If you’re living in Johannesburg, you might want to start preparing for another round of water issues.
From midweek, several suburbs are expected to experience either very low water pressure or no water at all — and it’s going to last for quite some time.
Johannesburg Water has announced that a planned maintenance operation will kick off on the evening of Wednesday, 23 April at 6:00 PM, and is expected to continue straight through until 12:00 PM on Friday, 25 April.
That’s a full 42 hours of potential disruption, so now’s the time to plan ahead.
What’s Behind the Disruption?
This maintenance work isn’t just routine. Johannesburg Water crews will be busy installing new piping at the Hector Norris Pump Station.
Unfortunately, the work will impact the water supply across several key areas, leaving residents and businesses either struggling with weak water flow or completely dry taps.
Here are the suburbs expected to be affected:
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Johannesburg CBD
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Newtown
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Selby
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Jeppestown
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Doornfontein
To help ease the inconvenience, Johannesburg Water says water tankers will be deployed during the disruption.
However, the specific locations where those tankers will be available haven’t been shared just yet — so stay tuned for updates.
The Hidden Battle: Theft and Vandalism
Aside from scheduled maintenance, Joburg’s water supply system is facing another major challenge — theft and vandalism.
According to Johannesburg Water, critical infrastructure such as pipes, pumps, and manhole covers are being targeted, and it’s making the job of supplying water even harder.
Mzakhe Mtshweni, the General Manager of Operations at Johannesburg Water, told Alex News that this sabotage doesn’t just delay repairs — it puts lives at risk.
“People have died after falling into open manholes because the covers were stolen.
This is not just a service issue — it’s a safety crisis,” Mtshweni said.
Fighting Back with Smart Tech
To tackle the growing problem, Johannesburg Water is rolling out a high-tech solution: smart manhole covers.
These new covers will come fitted with sensors that can detect tampering and send alerts in real time.
That means quicker responses, fewer thefts, and hopefully, fewer tragedies.
Mtshweni also emphasized that the utility is working closely with law enforcement and community stakeholders to beef up security, raise awareness, and upgrade its infrastructure.
It’s all part of a bigger push to protect vital resources and keep water services running more reliably.
Share Your Experience
Do you live in one of the affected areas? Have you had to deal with water outages like this before? We’d love to hear how you manage during these shutdowns — from storing water to coping without it.