Johannesburg’s water crisis has taken a new turn, with internal City documents revealing that government departments and state-owned entities collectively owe Joburg Water more than R627 million — money that could significantly ease the utility’s worsening cash-flow constraints and backlog of unpaid contractors.
The figures, tabled before the Johannesburg City Council this week, show that several national and provincial departments are among the worst offenders, despite repeated warnings about rising municipal debt and the fragile state of water infrastructure across the metro.
Who owes Joburg Water the most?
According to the quarterly report, the largest outstanding debts come from government departments:
Department of Education: R188,993,073
Department of Health: R99,212,453
Department of Housing: R52,539,324
Department of Infrastructure Development: R74,704,430
Parastatals also owe substantial amounts:
Transnet: R43,251,082
Prasa: R41,226,568
Eskom: R54,901,456
This brings the total amount owed by government entities and SOEs to R627,832,749.
More than half of this amount — R370 million — has been overdue for longer than three months. Education, Health, Infrastructure Development, and Housing again top the list of long-outstanding accounts. Among SOEs, Eskom, Transnet, Prasa and Transnet Freight Rail continue to lag behind on payment.
Despite billions in disconnections, government debt remains untouched
The report does not indicate whether Joburg Water has taken any action to recover what is owed by government bodies, nor does it specify whether departmental accounts are subjected to the same enforcement measures faced by ordinary residents and businesses.
Under City policy, customers who fail to pay within 30 days receive a pre-termination notice, followed by a Level 1 disconnection if payment arrangements are not made within 14 days. Households are typically placed on restricted supply, while businesses may be fully disconnected. Accounts that remain unpaid are handed over to attorneys for legal action.
Yet there is no record of equivalent measures being applied to government institutions — despite their accumulated arrears dwarfing the average household’s debt.
Meanwhile, Joburg Water continues large-scale disconnections across the city.
In quarter 4 of 2024/26, R9.4 billion worth of disconnections were issued.
In quarter 1 of 2025/26, the figure climbed to R11.4 billion, with R5.5 billion successfully disconnected.
Illegal connections remain a chronic issue
The report also highlights a drop in the number of properties inspected for illegal connections — from 28,197 cases in quarter 4 to 12,314 in quarter 1 — due to reduced use of contracted services. Despite this, the proportion of confirmed illegal connections rose from 26% to 33%.
Joburg Water itself owes R872 million — and blames cash-flow collapse
Ironically, Joburg Water simultaneously faces its own financial crisis. The utility reported R872 million in overdue payments to contractors for work completed between July and September.
The report indicates that 87% of late payments were due to cash-flow constraints — a situation that would be significantly eased if government departments and SOEs settled their debts.
With crumbling water infrastructure, persistent service interruptions, and backlogs in maintenance and repairs, the unpaid accounts of major public institutions raise critical questions about accountability, governance, and the sustainability of water supply in Johannesburg.
For now, the City Council has accepted the report without debate.