Thousands of residents across Gauteng and Mpumalanga face water supply disruptions after a lightning strike caused a power failure at Rand Water’s Mapleton Pumping Station in Boksburg, disrupting pumping operations and threatening supplies to six municipalities.

The outage, which occurred at about 8.35 pm on Monday, November 2, has affected the City of Ekurhuleni, City of Tshwane and four local municipalities: Lesedi, Govan Mbeki, Victor Khanye and Thembisile Hani.

Rand Water warned on Tuesday that the disruption was putting water supplies to the affected municipalities at risk, with reservoirs coming under increasing pressure.

The utility said it had been unable to resume pumping because electricity to the station had been interrupted.

“Despite repeated enquiries throughout the night, Rand Water has received no firm commitment from the City of Ekurhuleni on when electricity will be restored,” the utility said in its initial warning.

It called on the metro to treat the outage as an emergency, warning that the interruption could have serious consequences for water supply.

However, the City of Ekurhuleni later confirmed that its technicians were working to restore electricity to the affected infrastructure, with repairs reported to be 50% complete.

The city said the substation tripped after lightning struck overhead power lines supplying the facility, causing the breaker to operate and the entire substation to trip.

Technicians isolated the affected breaker and began cleaning the damaged panels to remove carbon debris.

The estimated restoration time was 1 pm on Tuesday, although water supplies could take longer to recover after pumping resumes.

Residents face dry taps

In Ekurhuleni, residents in several communities have already been warned of low water pressure or no water.

The affected areas include Dawn Park, Windmill Park and all its extensions, Villa Liza and Mapleton Agricultural Holdings.

Other affected communities include Crystal Park, Morehill, Ebotse Golf Estate, Chief Luthuli, Daveyton, Mayfield, Etwatwa, Fairleads and Slaterville.

The city said roving water tankers would be dispatched to areas experiencing complete water outages to assist residents.

Residents were advised that the restoration time for water supplies remained uncertain while repairs and recovery operations continued.

The disruption is also affecting Tshwane, where the municipality has been monitoring reservoir levels as bulk water supplies come under pressure.

Vlakfontein Reservoir was reported to have dropped to 18%, highlighting the pressure on water storage.

Residents have been urged to reduce consumption to help prevent further strain on the system, particularly while pumping operations remain disrupted.

Xhakaza to give update as water tensions continue

The latest outage comes amid growing tensions over water supply challenges between Ekurhuleni and Rand Water.

Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza is expected to provide an update on the Mapleton substation at 12.30 pm on Tuesday, following the lightning strike that disrupted electricity and affected water supplies in parts of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

In a media invitation issued on Tuesday, the city confirmed that its electricians had been working at the substation since Monday night and were continuing efforts to restore electricity as quickly as possible.

The media briefing will take place at Mapleton Substation, where Xhakaza is expected to update residents and the media on the progress of repairs.

The mayor has previously expressed frustration with Rand Water over persistent water supply challenges.

At the handover of the new Fairleads Reservoir on October 16, Xhakaza criticised the bulk water supplier over delays in commissioning a direct water supply line intended to improve supply to Bedfordview.

“We must express our disappointment with the leadership of Rand Water. We need to escalate to the Premier and the Minister because sometimes as municipalities, we receive a backlash. We have built the infrastructure,” Xhakaza said.

His comments highlighted the strained relationship between the municipality and the bulk water supplier over infrastructure investment and reliable water delivery.

Rand Water has also cautioned against blaming bulk supply constraints alone for low reservoir levels and water interruptions.

In a statement on high consumption, the utility said several factors contributed to water supply challenges, including rising demand, infrastructure limitations, operational difficulties, power interruptions at pumping stations and the time reservoirs needed to recover.

It said Rand Water and municipalities needed to work together through better communication, demand management and coordinated interventions.

Election Day water concerns

The outage comes a day before the local government elections, raising concerns about the impact of continued water interruptions on households already struggling with unreliable supplies.

Residents in affected areas have been urged to use available water sparingly, avoid unnecessary consumption and store reasonable quantities for essential household needs.

Ekurhuleni said it would provide further updates as repair work progressed.

Although electricity restoration was initially estimated for Tuesday afternoon, residents may continue experiencing low pressure or interruptions while reservoirs recover and the distribution system stabilises.