Zuko Komisa

- Minister Pemmy Majodina has authorised Rand Water to abstract an additional 200 million cubic metres from the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) until June 2026.
- The intervention follows critical electro-mechanical failures and pipe bursts in early 2026, which depleted municipal reservoirs across the province.
- A coordinated national task force is implementing load shifting, leak repairs, and Level 2 restrictions to restore supply to high-lying areas.
Following a series of infrastructure failures at the Palmiet and Zuikerbosch pump stations in late January 2026, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has sanctioned an emergency increase in water abstraction. Rand Water’s annual allocation has been temporarily raised from 1,803 to 2,003 million cubic metres to replenish depleted reservoirs.
While full pumping capacity was restored by 4 February, a persistent heatwave has driven up consumption, hampering the recovery of municipal storage systems.
Municipalities have been tasked with accelerating the repair of leaks, removing illegal connections, and enforcing Level 2 water use restrictions, particularly in high-consumption zones.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) stressed that this temporary abstraction is not a permanent solution to Gauteng’s structural challenges. Lasting stability requires municipalities to ring-fence water revenue specifically for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. Legislative reforms, including the Water Services Amendment Bill, are currently before Parliament to ensure water services are professionally managed with singular accountability.
The government has urged residents and civil society to conserve water and strictly adhere to municipal restrictions.
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