Midrand residents say five consecutive days without running water have pushed households to breaking point, as frustration mounts over what they describe as poor planning, shifting timelines and weak communication from Johannesburg Water.
The outage follows planned maintenance linked to Rand Water, which was scheduled to end early on Tuesday. However, taps across large parts of Midrand remained dry long after the deadline passed, disrupting daily life, forcing families to queue for emergency water and bringing some small businesses to a standstill.
In areas including Rabie Ridge, President Park, Ebony Park and Kaalfontein, residents say their days now begin before sunrise as they search for water tankers. Many report waiting for hours in long queues, only to leave empty-handed once supplies run out.
“It’s humiliating,” said Kaalfontein resident Phala Maroba. “We plan our lives around water schedules, but the information keeps changing or comes too late.”
Another resident, Mavis Malamulele, said the impact of the outage has been worse than usual because schools are closed and children are home all day.
“Imagine, especially during the festive season, you have family visiting and there’s no water,” she said. “The toilets, laundry and basic hygiene become a disaster.”
Johannesburg Water has insisted that supply has been restored across most of the city, but admitted that Midrand remains the hardest hit area. According to the utility, critically low reservoir and water tower levels are slowing recovery in what it described as a complex supply system.
President Park and Erand reservoirs are reportedly critically low or empty, while Rabie Ridge, Randjesfontein and Grand Central have shown only limited recovery. Several towers remain dry, with pumps switched off to prevent further damage.
Johannesburg Water said it is working with Rand Water to stabilise the system through controlled outlet management, balancing flows and releasing trapped air to prevent pipe bursts. Stationary tanks and roaming water tankers have been deployed, but residents say the relief is far from adequate.
Queues for tankers continue to stretch for hours, tensions are rising, and some communities receive no water at all before tankers run dry.
Residents are now demanding clearer timelines, realistic planning and honest communication from the city and its entities.
For many in Midrand, the prolonged outage has become more than a technical failure. It has become a test of trust between the city and the people who depend on it for basic services.
The crisis comes weeks after Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero assured residents that service delivery would continue beyond the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which was hosted in the city last month. During the build-up to the summit, residents noted a visible improvement in service delivery, sparking concerns that resources were being prioritised only for international events.
While the city has denied this, residents say the ongoing water crisis has deepened scepticism.
Until taps run reliably again, Midrand residents say patience is rapidly running out.