The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, has authorised Rand Water to abstract additional water from the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) as part of urgent interventions to stabilise Gauteng’s strained water supply network.
The decision follows a series of disruptions between 27 January and 1 February 2026, when several electro-mechanical failures at Rand Water’s Palmiet and Zuikerbosch pump stations, coupled with a major pipe burst at the Klipfontein reservoir, significantly reduced the supply of treated water to municipalities across the province. Although Rand Water restored operations and resumed its full supply capacity of 5,000 million litres per day by 4 February, the reduced supply of treated water from Rand Water during 27 January and 3 February resulted in the depletion of many municipal reservoirs, particularly in high-lying areas, leaving many communities without water. Other areas, particularly low-lying areas, were unaffected by supply disruptions. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), recovery efforts were further hampered by a heatwave in the province since early February, which resulted in increased water consumption in areas still receiving supply and delayed the replenishment of municipal storage systems. 
Stabilisation measures
In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa mandated intensified intervention in Gauteng. Majodina — together with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, DWS Deputy Minister David Mahlobo and CoGTA Deputy Minister Dr Namane Dickson Masemola, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Infrastructure Development and CoGTA MEC Jacob Mamabolo — agreed on a range of emergency stabilisation measures. “The implementation of these measures is being coordinated by technical teams from DWS, Rand Water and municipalities, led by the Directors-General of DWS and CoGTA,” DWS spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, said. Key interventions include:- Accelerated repair of leaks in municipal distribution systems, including the replacement of old leaking pipes, by municipalities.
- Removal of illegal connections by municipalities.
- Acceleration of municipal water and sanitation capital works programmes, particularly the construction of additional reservoir storage capacity and pumping capacity.
- Load shifting (moving water volumes between stable and critical systems) to balance the system. This results in reduced pressure in stable areas, but does not result in supply disruptions in stable areas.
- Controlled throttling (managing reservoir outlets to build storage levels overnight).
- Approval of level 2 water use restrictions by municipal councils, and enforcement of the restrictions, particularly in high-use areas, and
- Improved communication between municipalities and the public.
