No water supply crisis, insists Majodina

Speaking at the launch of National Water Month on Saturday during her inspection of the Rand Water Pumpstation in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, Majodina said that the country's water capacity remains stable, with dam levels in good condition.

“We are not in a crisis, our water balance is very good, but we do have local deficits,” she said.

The pumpstation supplies over 60% of Johannesburg’s water. 

“If we don’t have the Eikenhof pumpstation running alongside City Power, we will have a problem. We want to turn the situation around and ensure that people in Gauteng have access to water,” she added.

The pumpstation underwent significant maintenance last December to fix historical issues and improve the flexibility and availability of its engine rooms.

The station provides water to Joburg Water, which supplies several reservoirs, including those in Soweto, Roodepoort, Randburg, Lenasia, and parts of Johannesburg Central.

Speaking at the same event, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi noted that all the mayors in the province are now collaborating on the issue of water supply. 

“When municipalities were governed by other political parties, they didn’t want us to plan from the center or execute things together. Now that we have this type of government in local leadership, we’ve been planning and working together,” Lesufi said.

While Johannesburg continues to face severe water shortages, leading to protests and reliance on water trucks, Lesufi acknowledged the improvements at the pumpstation since maintenance began.

“From where we were in December to where we are now, there’s been drastic improvement. Those who complain when improvements are made vanish, I don’t know where they go. Our commitment is to ensure no one in Gauteng struggles to get water,” Lesufi declared. “No one should have to rely on a water tanker unless it’s an emergency.”

Meanwhile, Johannesburg Water announced a planned water outage for Saturday, affecting several northern areas of the city. 

The interruption, scheduled from 9 am to 9 pm, is necessary to repair a burst 900mm steel pipeline at the intersection of Acacia Road and Republic Road in Ebony Park.

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