Sandton meters closed for 11 hours, Soweto delays

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Despite the planned maintenances which led to the 86-hour water shutdown across numerous areas in Johannesburg over the long weekend, many residents in the city still have no water for various reasons.

There are some areas that were just informed that they would be without water supply for 11 hours tonight. Joburg Water said in a statement shared on their X account around 19:00 on 17 December 2024, that the Sandton meters will be closed tonight.

Soweto residents are also experiencing water woes as restoration of water supply could possibly be delayed due to vandalism, The Citizen reported on 17 December 2024.

JOBURG WATER CLOSES SANDTON METERS FOR 11 HOURS

Johannesburg Water explained in their statement that the Sandton meters had to be closed “as part of water demand management.” It further read:

“As part of water demand management efforts, Johannesburg Water will be closing the Sandton meters tonight, Tuesday, 17 December 2024, from 19:00 until 6:00 tomorrow morning. This is to ensure equal water supply distribution to struggling systems and areas within the Johannesburg Water network.”

JOBURG AREAS AFFECTED BY SANDTON METERS’ CLOSURE

According to the water utility, the Linbro Park and Marlboro direct feeds will be affected the most by the closures. They revealed that residents fed by the Sandton System will “experience poor pressure to no water overnight.” Here’s the list of affected areas:

Linbro Park Direct Feed
Marlboro Direct Feed
Linbro Park Reservoir
Marlboro Reservoir
Ilovo Reservoir
Ilovo Tower
Bryanston Reservoir
Bryanston Tower
Morningside Reservoir

JOBURG WATER REVEALS WHEN WATER SUPPLY WILL BE RESTORED

The system is said to take several hours to recover after meters are opened in the morning. “Customers experiencing no water may note brownish water when opening their taps in the morning when water returns.

“This phenomenon is not uncommon and is caused by calcified mineral deposits in older pipes that generally get flushed away by letting the taps run for a little while. It is no cause for concern. Allowing the taps to run for a short while also allows trapped air to escape, which sometimes worsens the loosening of up of calcified mineral deposits.”

POSSIBLE DELAYS IN RESTORATION OF SUPPLY IN SOWETO

The Citizen reports that restoration of water supply is expected in Soweto due to valves being vandalised during the shutdown. According to Joburg Water, there were a few criminal incidents that occurred in the city the past four days. Vandalism, assault and theft were reported.

On 13 December, a female employee at the utility was reportedly robbed and nearly sexually assaulted on her way home. Water truck drivers were also attacked, with report of alleged robbery and physical assault.