29 Johannesburg Suburbs to Experience Water Interruptions, Maintenance Needed at Honeydew Reservoir

• A problem at the Honeydew Reservoir has forced Johannesburg Water to conduct unplanned maintenance
• At least 29 suburbs will be affected by the water supply interruption that will last approximately 12 hours
• Ward Councillor Devon Steenkamp highlighted that there have been challenges at the reservoir for two years

GAUTENG—Johannesburg’s water woes continue, and once again, Honeydew Reservoir is at the centre of the issues.

Unplanned maintenance is required at the reservoir, leaving many residents without water for at least 12 hours on Thursday, 9 January 2025.

At least 29 Johannesburg suburbs will be affected by the water supply interruption.

Joburg Water implements 12-hour shutdown

According to the water utility, the shutdown was implemented so teams could remove a cracked level control valve from the reservoir’s inlet.

“The network will be supplied by the reservoir until the stored capacity runs out. Thereafter, there will be no water supply to the affected areas until the work is completed,” Nombuso Shabalala from Johannesburg Water confirmed.

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The city's water crisis has been well documented, and on 20 November 2024, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called for the dissolution of the Joburg Water Board as one solution.

Numerous suburbs to be affected

The 12-hour maintenance will leave at least 29 suburbs without water. These include Bellairspark, Broksruin, Boundary Park, Bromhof, Bushill Estate, Cosmo City, Honey Park, Honeydew Manor, Hoogland, Huntershill, Kevin Ridge, Kya Sands, Laser Park, Noordhang, Northriding, Northgate, Northwold, Olivedale, Randparkrif, Sharonlea, Radiokop, Sonnedal, Honeydew Ridge, Sundowner, Tres Jolie, Zandspruit, Harveston, Mogale City and Kim Bult.

It's not the first time in recent months that numerous suburbs were without water. On 19 November, 13 suburbs were without supply for 21 hours.

Ongoing challenges at Honeydew Reservoir

Speaking to Briefly News, Devon Steenkamp, DA Johannesburg Caucus Spokesperson and Ward Councillor for Ward 13, noted the ongoing problems at the reservoir.

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“The Honeydew Reservoir has been a major challenge for the past two years, primarily due to ageing infrastructure and increasing demand, which places significant pressure on the reservoir’s equipment and pipes.

“Unfortunately, Joburg Water’s financial constraints mean they cannot replace all the outdated infrastructure at once. Instead, they are often forced into reactive maintenance, repairing equipment when it breaks down or addressing small sections when limited funds are allocated,” he continued.

Steenkamp added that this stopgap approach was not sustainable in the long term and that without significant investment, residents would likely continue to face water supply disruptions.

Joburg Mayor issues update on water crisis

In a related article, the Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, addressed residents about the city's water crisis.

Speaking on 18 December 2024, Morero said the city's systems were well on their way to recovery.

Briefly News reported that his statement came as Rand Water had been conducting maintenance on infrastructure.

Source: Briefly News