SUPPLY CRISIS: Foul water scares hit Joburg suburbs — councillors blame ‘cowboy’ contractors

Joburg’s eastern suburbs have faced repeated water cuts this year as contractors fixing sewerage infrastructure allegedly damage drinking-water pipes, risking contamination.

Residents of Johannesburg’s eastern suburbs of Malvern and Bezuidenhout Valley have faced at least 10 precautionary water-quality warnings and updates since December 2025, leaving households without running water for up to two weeks and costing the City additional money for emergency repairs, laboratory testing and emergency water tankers.

Bezuidenhout Valley ward councillor Carlos da Rochas says residents have received four precautionary warnings, while Johannesburg Water issued six updates affecting Malvern, Jeppestown and Cleveland between 11 and 19 October alone, before declaring the water safe on 20 October. At the time of writing, the water in Bez Valley had not been declared safe.

Two ward councillors blame poorly supervised contractors who allegedly damage drinking-water pipes while carrying out sewer repairs, triggering precautionary shutdowns that leave residents without water even when contamination is not subsequently confirmed.

The incidents, affecting Bez Valley, Malvern and surrounding suburbs, have resulted in repeated precautionary water shutdowns, with councillors concerned that further disruptions could occur as the City embarks on a major pipe replacement programme in the area.

The repeated incidents have raised questions about Johannesburg Water’s supervision of contractors and the additional costs of emergency repairs, laboratory testing and alternative water supplies.

Bez Valley ward councillor Carlos da Rochas said he welcomed Johannesburg Water’s programme to replace ageing cement pipes, many of which had cracked or become obstructed by tree roots.

However, he accused the utility of failing to supervise contractors adequately.

“I am grateful that Johannesburg Water is upgrading the pipes. They are old, cracked and full of tree roots. But the work is completely unsupervised. Nobody checks what the contractors are doing.”

Da Rochas said one of the earliest incidents occurred near the corner of Albertina Sisulu Road and 10th Avenue, where a blocked sewer overflowed and, during repairs, raw sewage was sucked into the fresh water pipes.

According to Da Rochas, contractors subsequently damaged infrastructure near the same manhole, resulting in further disruptions.

He said residents had endured prolonged water interruptions, in some cases extending over several weeks.

At one stage, Da Rochas said he was even forced to stand outside Johannesburg Water’s head office with a megaphone to demand the attention of officials who were ignoring his pleas to restore the water.

Da Rochas also accused contractors of leaving excavations open after completing repairs.