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The Ministry of Water and Sanitation, led by Deputy Minister David Mahlobo together with Deputy Minister Jack Bloom, convened an urgent stakeholder meeting last night, Tuesday 08 September 2026, with Rand Water, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the Gauteng Provincial Government, the City of Johannesburg and its entities, City Power and Johannesburg Water as well as representatives of ESKOM to discuss reliable electricity supply for Rand Water’s water supply systems, to reduce water supply disruptions emanating from intermittent power trips.

The meeting, called at the request of Minister Pemmy Majodina, was also attended by the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Premier Panyaza Lesufi and the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Mr Dada Morero.

The meeting received detailed reports from Rand Water and City Power on the ongoing impact of the recent City Power electricity interruptions on Rand Water’s water supply systems. The interruptions affected water supply systems in Emfuleni, City of Johannesburg, and West Rand municipalities as well as Madibeng and Rustenburg areas in the North West. 

The collective noted with concern the frequent challenges in City Power’s electricity supply to Rand Water’s Eikenhof system which has negatively impacted on the system’s ability to reliably supply water to municipalities. 

The meeting agreed that a joint working committee will be established, led by DWS, with participation of representatives from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Rand Water, Joburg Water and the City Power as well as ESKOM and all other relevant stakeholders, to identify solutions to ensure that Rand Water obtains a reliable electricity supply. 

The committee will develop a response plan to address both the current challenges as well as options for Rand Water to secure a reliable source of electricity in future. The response plan will be presented to the intergovernmental structure chaired by the Provincial Government in due course. 

The meeting further encouraged DWS, Rand Water, the provincial government and the City to continue mobilising all structures of society to work with government in conserving water and on the importance of using water more sparingly particularly during these prevailing conditions. The collaboration has resulted in improved co-ordination and planning to the extent that water supply challenges are improving and will need to be sustainable stabilised.

Issued by Department of Water and Sanitation