Minister of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane, announced that water had been restored in parts of Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane that were hit with water disruptions this month; however, the pressure might be low.
Rand Water chairperson, Matshidiso Mayimele-Hashatse, said the reservoir levels were not yet at 100 percent, but were stable and water was flowing and reaching all areas.
Rand Water CEO, Percy Sechemane, said although water distribution had been stabilised, the utility needed two weeks to normalise the supply.
“On our side all our reservoirs are actually operating… for us to ultimately say that everything is stabilised we need to literally ensure that throughout the value chain we’ve been able to sort out everything,” he said.
This would also include ensuring that municipal infrastructure was also stable.
“As our system was coming back on, in some instances, because of the amount of pressure that comes through, it might lead to breakages of the municipal systems,” he explained.
Rand Water also noted that there may be localised problems and those communities or households that remained affected were advised to contact their ward councillors or the utility’s call centre.
At least 13 areas in Joburg, including Midrand and Diepsloot, had run dry or experienced a low water supply during the water disruptions that lasted nearly three weeks.
Mokonyane dismissed claims that the province was facing water shortages, explaining that a technical glitch due to cable theft had caused the disruptions.
“What has happened in Gauteng was a technical glitch in terms of distribution of water. At no point have we ever said that this is because of water shortages in Gauteng,” Mokonyane said.
Despite the utility facing harsh public criticism due to the disruptions, Mokonyane lauded the utility’s efforts.
“Even though the fault does not lie with Rand Water… we have taken collective responsibility,” she said.
Rand Water is over 110 years old and this is the first incident of its kind in the history of the utility, Mokonyane noted.
According to Mokonyane, on 15 September, a City Power transformer, which supplied power to one of Rand Water’s Eikenhof pump stations that feeds a smaller system, failed.
On 21 September, 21 copper cables from an Eskom sub-station in Alrode were stolen. This sub-station supplied power to Rand Water’s bigger pump station, impacting water distribution.
Mokonyane described the theft as “economic sabotage” and said the justice system must not deal with cable theft as petty crimes, but as economic crimes.
She also called on all municipalities in Gauteng to draw up a 10-year water plan.
Meanwhile, Rand Water urged the public to use water sparingly in order to allow reservoirs to fill and water pressure to return to normal.
