Morero Promises Full Water Restoration in Westbury and Surrounding Areas Within Seven Days

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has promised full water restoration in Westbury and surrounding areas within seven days, addressing residents in a community hall in Newlands on Thursday amid ongoing protests over prolonged outages, with the city planning to throttle supply in other regions to boost local reservoirs and deploying 15 water tankers as immediate relief.

Morero’s Address and Immediate Interventions

On Thursday, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero met with frustrated residents in a community hall in Newlands, where he outlined a plan to restore full water supply to Westbury, Coronationville, and nearby areas within the next seven days. The meeting came as protests intensified, with locals expressing anger over weeks of erratic water access that has disrupted daily life, from cooking and hygiene to schooling and work. Morero acknowledged the severity of the situation, attributing the low water levels in local reservoirs to broader system challenges but assuring quick action.

“With the work that we are going to be doing again between today and tomorrow, we hope that you can be able to fill up the levels so that you can get the water supply to you,” the mayor said. “Because right now the water levels are extremely low.” To achieve this, he explained that the city would temporarily throttle water supply in other parts of Johannesburg, redirecting resources to replenish the Crosby, Hursthill, and Brixton reservoirs that serve the affected communities. This throttling involves reducing pressure in less critical areas to allow depleted systems to recover, a common but controversial tactic in Johannesburg’s water management.

In addition to the throttling plan, Morero announced the immediate deployment of 15 water tankers to provide emergency relief while repairs and recovery efforts continue. These tankers will distribute clean water to households, schools, and clinics, helping to mitigate the immediate hardships faced by residents. The mayor emphasised that these measures are part of a coordinated response involving Johannesburg Water, Rand Water, and provincial authorities, aimed at stabilising supply without further delays. However, he urged patience, noting that full restoration depends on reservoirs reaching optimal levels, which could take up to a week if all goes as planned.

Johannesburg Water’s Managing Director, Ntshavheni Mukwevho, who accompanied Morero, provided more details on long-term fixes. He revealed that over R800 million has been invested in upgrading the Commando System, the primary network supplying water to western Johannesburg, including Westbury. This investment includes infrastructure enhancements to address ageing pipes, pump stations, and reservoirs that have struggled under high demand. Mukwevho assured residents that the new Brixton reservoir and tower, a key component of these upgrades, will be completed by the end of October 2025, promising more reliable supply in the future. Until then, the city will continue monitoring and adjusting flows to prevent similar crises.

Ongoing Protests and Resident Frustrations

Despite Morero’s assurances, some Westbury residents have vowed to continue protesting until water flows consistently from their taps. The area has been without reliable supply for weeks, with some households reporting intermittent or no water since early August 2025. Protests this week turned violent at times, with demonstrators barricading roads, burning tyres, and clashing with police. On Tuesday, officers fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds throwing stones at motorists, injuring at least one person and blocking access to Rahima Moosa Hospital. Residents argue that seven days is too long to wait, especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly, children, and those with medical needs.

“We’ve heard promises before, but nothing changes,” one protester told local media, reflecting widespread scepticism. The demonstrations have spread to Coronationville and surrounding suburbs, where similar issues persist. Protesters demand not just restoration but accountability for repeated failures, pointing to years of neglect since outages began in 2019. Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni visited Westbury earlier, instructing officers to restrain force and promising a peaceful approach, but tensions remain high.

These protests are part of a broader wave of unrest across Gauteng, including Ivory Park, Ebony Park, Riverlea, Tsakane, and Vlaskfontein. Communities have blockaded roads and picketed water depots, describing water as a basic right rather than a luxury. In southern suburbs, residents endured six weeks of interruptions before recent improvements, but scepticism lingers due to unfulfilled past pledges.

Root Causes of the Water Crisis in Johannesburg

The water shortages in Johannesburg and surrounding areas stem from a combination of technical failures, high demand, and longstanding infrastructure challenges. At the heart of the problem is the Eikenhof pump station, operated by Rand Water, which supplies vast parts of the city including Johannesburg Central, Randburg, Roodepoort, and Soweto. Power outages have frequently disrupted pumping operations, leading to reduced flow and the need for throttling to allow reservoirs to recover. For instance, a power failure at Eikenhof, combined with an outage at Emfuleni’s substation, depleted reservoirs serving areas like Forest Hill, Hector Norris, Crown Gardens, Yeoville, Berea, Eagles Nest, Glenvista, and Kibler Park.

Such incidents are recurrent. In early 2024, a similar outage left large swathes of the city dry for nearly two weeks, forcing residents to rely on tankers and bottled water. December 2024 saw an 86-hour planned maintenance at Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes pump stations, impacting up to four million people and drawing criticism for inadequate communication. More recently, in July 2025, pumping was halved for maintenance, causing days of disruptions. Rand Water has since restored full capacity, but Johannesburg Water’s systems are still catching up, with full recovery expected soon.

High demand exacerbates the strain, often exceeding network capacity. The City of Johannesburg is under Level 1 water restrictions, banning peak-hour garden watering, car washing, or pool filling. Since November 2024, supply reductions have been enforced to manage pressure. Pump failures, like one at Eikenhof losing 200 megalitres, further reduce flow. Illegal connections and vandalism overload systems, while corruption delays repairs. The ageing infrastructure, some decades old, can’t keep pace with Gauteng’s population growth and urban expansion. Johannesburg Water faces a R26 billion renewal backlog, with R11 billion for water alone. All 11 Gauteng municipalities must enforce restrictions strictly to prevent “day zero” scenarios.

Power Outages Adding to the Woes

Water issues are compounded by power cuts, particularly in areas like Ivory Park and Ebony Park, where overloaded transformers have exploded due to illegal connections. Morero warned that these unauthorised links cost the government dearly in replacements, with City Power working round the clock. Premier Panyaza Lesufi noted unemployment drives such actions, but stressed no one should be denied basics. A provincial team is disconnecting illegal links to ease grid strain.

Broader Government Responses and Apologies

Morero and Lesufi have publicly apologised for the disruptions. Morero, speaking at a Sandton seminar, said: “There’s some technical problems we experienced at the Eikenhof pump station, so the system has to recover. It forces us to do throttling… I want to apologise to communities, we are doing everything we can to get the system to recover.” He promised normal flow once reservoirs fill.

In February 2025, Morero pledged restoration within seven days after Eikenhof power cuts, facing backlash for absence during the crisis. Lesufi echoed apologies at the seminar: “We want to assure those communities on the streets that your voice has been heard. We are working extremely hard to ensure that we reconnect water. It’s an aging infrastructure, but also vandalism and illegal connections are part of the problem.” He highlighted corruption as a barrier and called for patience, noting pre-protest efforts “behind the scenes.”

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