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A seven-page letter from Johannesburg Water to city manager Floyd Brink on 14 October reveals that water throttling and pressure controls (which slow water to a trickle) are being introduced as the city's water crisis deepens.

On Monday, the Constitutional Court said it had been unable to conduct physical or in-court cases because of unreliable water supply.

Daily Maverick's data investigation of Johannesburg Water's social media reports and residents' posts has found that thousands of water cuts a month are the norm in the city as the water system reaches the end of its lifespan.

Capital expenditure has given way to consumption spending, so maintenance budgets have been slashed while sufficient new infrastructure has not been built since 1994.

In the past week, the water systems in Midrand and Sandton have been down, along with areas in the southwest of the city, like Coronationville, where the supply is more often off than on, according to daily reports from the community.

Johannesburg Water's letter to Brink shows how Level 2 and Level 3 restrictions are being introduced, as was announced by Deputy President Paul Mashatile in Parliament on...