R760m Infrastructure Upgrade Plan in Johannesburg to End Water Supply Crisis

According to the Premier, water supply has been fully restored in Midrand — the first suburb severely affected by the outage.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced a R760 million infrastructure upgrade in the City of Johannesburg aimed at delivering a permanent solution to recurring water supply disruptions, following January’s major water emergency.

Delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA) at Nasrec on Monday, Lesufi outlined a phased intervention plan that combines emergency stabilisation measures with long-term infrastructure expansion to secure the province’s water future.

Brixton Reservoir and Pumping Station Go Live

As part of immediate stabilisation efforts, construction of a new ground reservoir and water tower in Brixton is nearing completion and will go live by Saturday to improve supply and pressure in surrounding communities.

An emergency booster pumping station will also become operational next week.

“The permanent solution will be realised once the construction of the 5km pipeline is concluded at the end of the year,” Lesufi said.

The Premier added that national government is assisting the province to ensure a full return on infrastructure investments, particularly to restore dignity to residents of Hammanskraal, Bronkhorstspruit, Kokosi, Fochville, Kwa-Thema and other affected communities.

January Explosion Triggered Water Emergency

The latest crisis began on 27 January 2026 when Johannesburg experienced an unexpected water shortage following an explosion at a Rand Water plant. The explosion was followed by a fire that damaged transmission machinery and a major burst pipe.

Authorities responded within 72 hours to repair the explosion damage, extinguish the fire and fix the burst pipe. However, water levels across the system were severely depleted, affecting multiple municipalities.

President Cyril Ramaphosa dispatched a Ministerial intervention team, and the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, issued an extraordinary proclamation allowing Rand Water to immediately extract additional volumes from the Vaal River Integrated Water System.

Supply Stabilising Across the Province

According to the Premier, water supply has been fully restored in Midrand — the first suburb severely affected by the outage.

Progress has also been recorded in:

• Soweto (excluding Meadowlands Zones 3 and 4 and areas supplied by the Doornkop reservoir)

• Kagiso and surrounding West Rand areas

• Most of Ekurhuleni, except Bedfordview, Tsakane and parts of Kwa-Thema

• Tshwane, Sedibeng and the broader West Rand

However, several areas remain unstable or pressure-constrained.

Night-time throttling — a pressure management strategy designed to allow system recovery — continues to affect Kensington, Bezuidenhout Valley, Bruma and Berea.

Communities supplied through the Commando System and Brixton Towers are still experiencing instability, while parts of Westdene, Coronationville, Sophiatown, Melville, Emmarentia and sections of Doornkop remain particularly challenging.

Infrastructure Failures, Not Water Scarcity

Lesufi emphasised that Gauteng’s crisis is not due to water scarcity, but ageing infrastructure, leaks and peak demand pressures.

“We are working as the three spheres of government to fix the water challenges in our province,” he said.

The province is preparing to receive additional water from Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which will further strengthen Gauteng’s long-term water security.

Major Storage Investments Underway

To prevent future sporadic shortages, government has prioritised increased water storage capacity.

In Midrand, a new 20 million litre water storage facility is under construction. Private developers have matched this investment by donating an additional 10 million litres of storage capacity for community use.

Similar storage expansion projects are underway in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and West Rand municipalities.

These interventions form part of a broader strategy to modernise Gauteng’s bulk infrastructure, improve system resilience and safeguard economic productivity in South Africa’s most industrialised province.

Commitment to Permanent Resolution

The R760 million Johannesburg upgrade forms part of a wider provincial drive to secure water stability through:

• Infrastructure modernisation

• Increased storage capacity

• Expanded bulk supply readiness

• Enhanced intergovernmental coordination

• Stronger emergency response systems

Lesufi acknowledged the inconvenience experienced by residents and businesses during the crisis.

“We once more sincerely apologise to our residents that went and still go through the inconveniences caused by this unfortunate situation. Be assured of our commitment to permanently resolve this challenge,” he said.

With infrastructure upgrades accelerating and national support secured, Gauteng is positioning itself to eliminate recurring water disruptions and cement long-term water security.