What crisis? Water Minister says taps won’t run dry in Gauteng

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As South Africa continues to face a high-water crisis, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, emphasized that while the dams in Gauteng are full, there are still issues with supplying water to households, reported eNCA.

‘WE ARE NOT IN A CRISIS,’ SAYS MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

Majodina insisted that they were not in a crisis, as their water balance was on point.

“We are not in a crisis. Our water balance is very good but we do have local deficits. If you look at our reserves, all our dams have enough water,” she said.

Adding to the water crisis woes, South Hills Pump Station remains empty. Johannesburg Water explained that the empty pump station is a result of water demand exceeding the available bulk reservoir capacity.

“This is directly affecting pumping at South Hills Pump Station. JW is closely monitoring the system and pumping to South Hills tower will only resume as soon as the system improves,” the statement read.

Despite South Hills Pump Station being empty, an alternative water supply is distributed to affected areas.

The statement further read: “Our teams are actively monitoring the situation to ensure that all residents have access to some water during this time.”

PLANNED WATER MAINTENANCE TO AFFECT 14 AREAS IN JOBURG

Planned water maintenance is set to affect 14 areas in Johannesburg from 11 March 2025 and ending on 12 March 2025 for 12 hours. These are the areas affected:

Naturena
Freedom Park
Devland Industrial
Coca Cola
Sir Juice
Southfork
Eagle Nest
Meredale
Kibler Park
Mondeor
Mondeor Ext.2
Mondeor Ext.3
Winchester Hills Ext.1
Alan Manor

DA ACCUSES LESUFI OF BLAMING RESIDENTS FOR GAUTENG’S WATER CRISIS

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi of blaming residents for the ongoing water crisis onto residents. According to The Citizen, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for infrastructure Nico De Jager stated that years of mismanagement have led to the water crisis.

In his State of the Province Address (SOPA) on 24 February 2025, Lesufi cited vandalism and power outages as the primary causes of water supply issues.

However, De Jager dismissed this explanation, asserting that the root cause of the crisis was the breakdown of infrastructure.

“Gauteng’s water challenges stem not from scarcity but from systematic infrastructure breakdown over the past 31 years of ANC mismanagement,” De Jager said.