These municipalities could face ’emergency’ Rand Water shutdown on eve of elections
A power failure affecting a pumping station in Ekurhuleni left it out of operation for more than 14 hours, threatening the water supply.
The upcoming 2026 local government elections in Gauteng and Mpumalanga may see large parts of these provinces without water due to an ongoing power outage at the Mapleton pumping station. Rand Water and the City of Ekurhuleni confirmed a power disruption at the station on Monday evening, causing the pumping to halt. As of Tuesday morning, electricity to the site was still not restored.
Rand Water emphasized it has no control over power restoration and can only resume pumping once the issue is resolved. No restoration time has been provided as of 10.30am on Tuesday, with the station unable to pump water since the interruption. The low reservoir levels and supply interruptions are attributed to operational challenges, infrastructure limitations, high consumption, and water-level recovery timeframes, not bulk water supply shortages.
Rand Water confirmed repairs are underway following damage to a breaker caused by a lightning strike, with full power yet to be restored. Affected municipalities include Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Thembsilie Hani, Victor Khanye, Govan Mbeki, and Lesedi. Stabilising the system demands collaborative efforts between Rand Water and the municipalities for clear communication, effective demand management, and coordinated operational interventions.
The priority should be to identify the cause, communicate openly, and implement measures that restore and protect water security for communities.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
