Johannesburg residents will start the second week of January 2026 with 54-hour maintenance, resulting in a limited or no water supply for three to five days.
The third leg of Rand Water’s planned maintenance on their systems is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, 6 January 2026, at 4am until Thursday, 8 January 2026, at 8am.
“This 54-hour maintenance will be undertaken to replace a certain isolation meter in the Rand bulk supply pipes. During this time, affected Johannesburg Water systems will decline until empty, which will result in poor pressure to no water,” Johannesburg Water said.
“Direct feeds will be affected by no water for the duration.”
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Recovery?
Johannesburg Water said, upon completion of the maintenance work, impacted Johannesburg Water systems will take 3 – 5 days to fully recover.
“Although direct feeds are the first to lose water, they are, however, the first to recover when pumping resumes.”
Which areas
Impacted areas
- Meadowlands Reservoir and Direct Feeds: Meadowlands (all zones & extensions), Tshepo Themba, Dube, Central Western Jabavu & Ext.1, Mofolo Central & North, Orlando West, Zondi, and Mmesi Park
- Doornkop Reservoir and Direct Feeds: Dobsonville Gardens, Dobsonville (all extensions), Lufhereng (all extensions), Protea City, Protea Glen (all extensions), Thulani (all extensions), Doornkop (all extensions), Green Village, Slovoville (all extensions), Tshepisong (all extensions), and Leratong Village.
- Bramfischerville Reservoir 1&2 and Direct Feeds: Braamfischerville (all extensions), Mmesi Park, Durban Deep, Sol Plaatjies, and Goudrand.
- Roodepoort Deep: Hamberg, Rand Leases (all extensions), Discovery Ext.9, Georginia, Roodepoort, and Creswell Park.
- Fleurhof Reservoir: Lea Glen, Fleurhof (all extensions).
“Due to the interconnected nature of the systems, a secondary impact may occur at the other neighbouring areas,” Johannesburg Water warned.
“Johannesburg Water will ensure an alternative water supply is available to all affected areas. Affected customers are also urged to plan for the Rand Water maintenance work.”
Smelly water
Earlier this week, Johannesburg Water issued an alert over possible water contamination affecting parts of the city’s business district and Bezuidenhout Valley (Bez Valley).
The affected areas include Albertina Sisulu Road and surrounding streets (6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Avenues, as well as 10th Street).
Johannesburg Water said residents reported a strong smell emanating from their piped and tap water on Monday, 29 December 2025.
Tests
The utility said it is conducting precautionary water quality testing to determine whether the water is contaminated.
“As a precautionary measure, customers in the affected area are advised not to consume tap water until further notice, while assessments are underway.
Johannesburg Water warned that some other areas may be affected by the water cut-off.
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