“Nothing New to Us”: South Africans Relate as American Woman Experiences Johannesburg’s Water Outage

• Jules, a woman from the United States, shared how she managed Johannesburg's water shortage
• She unveiled her solutions for showering, flushing the toilet, and washing the dishes to her TikTok followers
• Many South Africans gathered in the comment section to share similar experiences and useful tips
• Briefly News spoke to a Johannesburg resident, Briefly News reporter Nerissa Naidoo, who shared the biggest challenges she faced during this period

An American woman named Jules, who made Johannesburg her home, shared her experience of the water shortage affecting the bustling city. South Africans shared similar stories of limited access to water and tips for Jules to implement.

On 18 December 2025, Jules noted that it was the fourth day of the water shortage and revealed how she and her family had managed the situation. She stated that they wiped themselves down instead of showering, used pool water to flush the toilet, and bought and collected water and rainwater to wash the dishes.

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She said in the video:

"I've had to purchase drinking water, and as far as laundry goes, it's just piling up. I don't have enough water to wash that. Such situations force you to be more grateful for these simple resources that you may take for granted. It's very easy not to think about it when you have it on a daily basis.

According to Business Day, some residents have experienced temporary outages since Rand Water's planned maintenance on 13 December 2025.

Biggest water shortage challenges

Nerissa Naidoo, a Briefly News reporter, explained that the biggest challenge she had faced during the water shortage was managing her daily life.

"Having kids makes it even harder, especially during summer when they need water to stay hydrated. Cooking, cleaning, and maintaining basic hygiene become very difficult when water is unavailable during the times you actually need it most."

She added that storing water was also a challenge because it required proper containers and enough space, which not everyone is privileged to have.

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"On top of that, trying to keep everything sanitary under these conditions adds a lot of stress to an already difficult situation."

South Africans discuss Johannesburg water shortage

Local online users flooded the comment section with their thoughts and opinions on the unfortunate shutdown.

@jurgen.jbd told Jules:

"Get a JoJo tank. This will help big time."

A generous @keleshiaramlugan offered:

"If you're around Randburg, you're welcome to do laundry at my home."

@shellsbells1232 shared in the comments:

"Nothing new to us. Our garage and cupboards are stocked with water."

@tommuller57 wasn't specific about who they were referring to and commented:

"When they return on 5 January, everything will be okay. Just be patient."

Watch the TikTok video posted on Jules' account below:

3 Other stories about water shortages

• In another article, Briefly News reported that internet users felt that they could relate to an influencer who vlogged her day without water.
• On 14 September 2025, reservoirs and towers were throttled for 14 hours daily in Johannesburg as an alleged result of system strains.
• Last year, the Gauteng province experienced a water shortage, with maintenance continuing for at least five weeks.

Source: Briefly News