Rand Water and Joburg Water have advised residents to prepare for intermittent water supplies over the festive season as two major water treatment stations – Zuikerbosch and Eikenhof – will be shut down for maintenance. Johannesburg residents should brace for interrupted water supply over the festive season as Rand Water conducts maintenance of its systems. The maintenance will run intermittently between 13 December 2025 and 8 January 2026.
During this period, residents of affected reservoirs can expect reduced water pressure, intermittent water supplies, and full outages in higher-lying and end-of-street areas. On Friday, 12 December, Joburg Water held a media briefing at the entity’s depot in Langlaagte to outline the scope of the maintenance work, the expected supply constraints, affected areas and what mitigation measures are in place to manage the impact. Two major water pumping stations – Zuikerbosch and Eikenhof – that serve Johannesburg, Pretoria and surrounding areas will undergo shutdowns while maintenance work is carried out in three phases.
During phase one, Zuikerbosch will be shut down for 48 hours starting from 4am over the weekend of 13-15 December. Phase two will be carried out at Eikenhof over a 54-hour shutdown period from 7pm on 19 December until midnight on 21 December. The third and final phase will also take place at Eikenhof, which will be shut down from 4am on 6 January until 8am on 8 January.
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Residents can anticipate three- to five-day recovery periods following these shutdowns. Zuikerbosch is a major water treatment plant that supplies most of Gauteng, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Ekurhuleni, as well as parts of North West. The Eikenhof shutdown will affect the following areas: Joburg Water has advised that although the Commando system will not be shut down, it may experience secondary impact from the maintenance work done at Eikenhof.
Rand Water spokesperson Makenosi Maroo told Daily Maverick: “The timing of the maintenance work aligns with the rainy season, allowing for a faster recovery of the systems once the maintenance work is completed.” Speaking to the media, Joburg Water chairperson Dineo Majavu said the utility had put several contingency plans into place, including filling up reservoirs to full capacity by 8 December and identifying water hydrants that could be used as filling points. A key feature in the contingency plan was the procurement of a new fleet of water tankers entirely owned by the City of Johannesburg. The fleet was unveiled during Friday’s briefing. Joburg Water senior manager of operations Randhir Singh said the entity had procured 20 water tankers, 16 of which had already been delivered and would be deployed to affected areas over the maintenance period.
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