Midrand residents staged a protest on 3 February 2026 at the corner of Vodacom Boulevard and Lever Road over the Midrand water crisis that has left large parts of the area dry for six days.

Community members say they can no longer afford to buy water daily and demand permanent fixes after repeated outages, including severe disruptions in December 2025.

Ward councillors Lerato Mphefo and Annette Deppe held meetings with Johannesburg Water on 2 February, yet many feel interventions fall short.

Pumping resumes but recovery remains slow

Johannesburg Water announced on 3 February that water supply to the Erand Reservoir has recommenced, with levels rising gradually. The utility confirmed residents in the Erand Tower area have started seeing water return.

Rand Water stated its systems have fully recovered after the electrical failure at Palmiet pump station and a leak on the Klipfontein system. Pumping now operates at full capacity nationwide.

However, reservoirs including President Park, Grand Central, Rabie Ridge and Diepsloot still record critically low or no inflow. Low-lying areas receive water first due to gravity, while higher-lying zones like Ebony Park and Kaalfontein face longer delays.

Officials expect full stabilisation within three to five days if demand stays controlled. Roaming tankers continue to supply affected areas.

Deputy Minister leads oversight visit

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo, accompanied by Executive Mayor Dada Morero, MMC Jack Sekwaila and Johannesburg Water MD Ntshavheni Mukwevho, conducted an on-site assessment at the Midrand Depot in Carlswald on 3 February.

Mahlobo noted improvements allow phased restoration in several areas but flagged Grand Central as the biggest concern.

“At the current point … we should be able to have a number of areas to get water … but the area of Grand Central remains our biggest concern and we’ve directed the teams of Rand Water, Joburg city and Ekurhuleni to work together,” Mahlobo said.

The team received technical briefings and committed to immediate and long-term measures to stabilise supply and prevent future disruptions.