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2d ago

Johannesburg Braces for 54-Hour Rand Water Maintenance Starting Jan. 6

Authorities warn reservoirs will drain, with recovery expected over several days.

Johannesburg Water says the possible contamination and smelly water affecting parts of the city’s business district and Bezuidenhout Valley (Bez Valley) is concerning. Picture: iStock
Johannesburg residents start the second week of January 2026 with 54-hour maintenance, meaning that they will have limited to no water supply for almost three to five days. Picture: iStock
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Overview

  • Johannesburg Water confirms a scheduled outage from 04:00 on Tuesday, 6 January to 08:00 on Thursday, 8 January to replace isolation equipment on Rand Water’s bulk pipelines, including F45, F39, F28 and F15.
  • Low pressure to no water is expected as systems decline, with direct-feed areas losing supply first during the 54-hour maintenance window.
  • Impacts are forecast for zones supplied by the Meadowlands, Doornkop, Bramfischerville 1 & 2, Roodepoort Deep and Fleurhof reservoirs, with potential knock-on effects in neighbouring areas due to network interconnections.
  • Full system recovery is expected three to five days after pumping resumes, with direct-feed areas typically restoring sooner once flows stabilize.
  • Separately, a precautionary water-quality alert remains in parts of the CBD and Bezuidenhout Valley where odorous water was reported, with preliminary tests showing some concerns but improving quality, continued flushing, further laboratory testing and roaming tankers in place.