Mayor Dada Morero Blames Johannesburg’s Growth for Water Crisis, South Africans Not Impressed

• Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero discussed the city's struggles with the ongoing water outages
• The mayor explained that there were multiple factors behind the water issues, including the city's growth
• South Africans took to social media to share their thoughts about Morero's explanation of the situation

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG - Dada Morero has addressed the ongoing water crisis in Johannesburg, blaming the rapid growth of the city for the issues.

Large parts of the city are experiencing constant water outages, with residents complaining that the problems are more frequent and last longer. While Morero, the Johannesburg Executive Mayor, has stated that the city was working on dealing with the crisis, he also explained the reason for it.

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Morero discusses Johannesburg’s water crisis

Speaking to SABC News on 9 February 2026, the mayor said it was not correct that nothing had been done to tackle the issues. He explained that while new reservoirs were being completed in some areas, there were other factors that needed to be considered.

“We must accept that the system itself, in some instances, would collapse as a result of a power failure, or any other reasons that may cause it to collapse.

“Our task then is to ensure that we intervene should the need arise. You must also accept that Joburg has grown and the city must catch up in terms of its water and sewer infrastructure,” he said.

Numerous areas are suffering from water outages

Morero’s comments come as the city is plagued with frequent water outages, caused by several issues, during a heatwave.

In Midrand, a water treatment station’s pump motor exploded, leaving residents without water for six days. The problem was worsened by a leak at the Klipfontein Reservoir inlet.

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Other areas, including Brixton, Melville, Berea, Orange Farm, Yeoville and Auckland Park, were also left with no water or with low water pressure due to planned maintenance. Residents of Soweto are not exempt from the problems, as they have been dealing with critically low to empty reservoirs.

The city has come in for a lot of criticism about the situation, with the uMkhonto weSizwe Party calling for an urgent debate about the matter, and the Democratic Alliance's Helen Zille also weighing in on the issue.

South Africans react to Morero’s comments

Social media users weighed in on the mayor’s comment, reacting with anger, sarcasm and frustration.

Val Pieterse vented:

“They’re always shifting the blame to something that was anyway their responsibility on an ongoing basis. Not only in a crisis.”

Piletji Sebola stated:

“Johannesburg can be likened to a 15-seater minibus taxi carrying 30+ passengers.”

Brenden Mmamaila noted:

“But with 32 years in government, you should have rebuilt those water systems, but decided to squander the money.”

Neville Govender stated:

“Poor planning and focusing on eating are what caused it”

Kajil Ragoo asked:

“So, no succession planning?”

Lebohang V Miya exclaimed:

“Ouch, that is a lousy excuse. Some parties want him out for ‘lack of service delivery’. I am disturbed at this response.”

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Louise Frances Renton appealed:

“Sir, instead of telling us what we already know, do something about it.”

Morero discusses Johannesburg's hijacked buildings

Briefly News reported that Morero caused a stir online when he made an observation about hijacked buildings in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg's Central Business District has been battling hijacked buildings and the socioeconomic challenges they present.

South Africans blasted the mayor online and accused him of making an obvious observation, questioning when the government would act.

Source: Briefly News