Less than a week into Rand Water's 37-day maintenance project, Gauteng residents face severe water shortages owing to a 'power failure' at the Zwartkopjes booster pump station. This has critically impacted reservoirs across the region, with many communities left dry.

"It is day 5 of not a drop of water in Melville and Auckland Park North ... When will we get something out of our taps? The communication around this planned maintenance has been as dry as our taps!"

These were the words of Janet de Krester, a resident of the City of Johannesburg, speaking against a backdrop of Rand Water's 37-day maintenance, which started on 22 June 2024 and will end on 29 July 2024.

Despite Johannesburg Water having set out a contingency plan to reduce the impact of the planned maintenance on its residents, people in many parts of Johannesburg claim they have not seen water tanks and have been without water for days.

Dr Ferrial Adam, executive manager of WaterCAN, said the hardest-hit areas include Observatory, Kensington, Greenside, Emmarentia, Melville, North Riding, Crown Mines, Bergbron, Killarney, Witpoortjie and parts of Randburg.

"Communication and information about the tankers and JoJo tanks have been very poor. Joburg Water needed more planning. It seems they reach an emergency and then just wing it.

"The utility has also failed to provide clear information about which suburbs are linked to each system, leaving residents confused over whether the information on a specific...