The water supply at the hospital in Johannesburg has been resorted following low water pressure since Thursday, 1 June. A senior clinician at the hospital described the situation as 'inhumane' and although the water supply has been restored, it still illustrates the poor state of public healthcare facilities in the province.

The water supply at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg has been resorted following low water pressure since Thursday, 1 June. The situation improved slightly on 5 June, but the emergency, surgical and medical wards still did not have an adequate water supply.

The hospital's CEO, Dr Rodney Pheto confirmed that the water supply was 100% restored to all the taps and pipes in the hospital as of Tuesday, 6 June.

According to a jointly issued statement by the Gauteng Provincial Government and Johannesburg Water, the preliminary investigation identified the cause of the low water pressure to be an open valve.

"An open valve within the ring feed of the hospital had to be closed as it was creating negative pressure, meaning water was no longer being pushed into the hospital network. This resulted in the low pressure to the hospital tanks. The water pressure increased immediately after the main valve was closed," read the statement.

On Tuesday evening, the water level at the hospital reservoir was initially at 80% and expected to reach 100% capacity later in the evening. Technical teams continued to monitor water levels overnight, while a water pumping truck from Johannesburg Water will continue to be...