Johannesburg’s water challenges cast a shadow over election day

With the local government elections taking place today Wednesday, water shortages remain a major concern for several Johannesburg communities. Residents in parts of the city are still experiencing prolonged outages and water throttling, with some areas going more than a week without reliable supply. This is despite the city’s assurance that supply is gradually being restored. Johannesburg Water says its systems have recovered to more than 41%. A South African Human Rights Commission report has also highlighted ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance and weak accountability as some of the underlying causes of the crisis.

“Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero promises water will be fully restored within days, but residents in areas like Northriding and Westbury still face prolonged outages and years of throttling, while Johannesburg Water reports system recovery has improved to 41%, many households remain without reliable supply. The report blames ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance, and weak accountability for the crisis. The report also questions whether an increasing reliance on water tankers is financially benefiting service providers and municipal officials at the expense of residents.”

RELATED VIDEO | 2026 Municipal Polls | Water shortages put government service delivery under scrutiny