{"id":103586,"date":"2026-02-06T18:35:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=103586"},"modified":"2026-02-06T18:35:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:35:45","slug":"johannesburg-water-crisis-deepens-as-experts-warn-of-worsening-outages-and-rising-public-distrust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/johannesburg-water-crisis-deepens-as-experts-warn-of-worsening-outages-and-rising-public-distrust\/","title":{"rendered":"Johannesburg water crisis deepens as experts warn of worsening outages and rising public distrust"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n02 February 2026<\/p>\n

\"\"

Experts warn Johannesburg\u2019s water outages could worsen in 2026 without urgent action. \ud83d\udcf7<\/p><\/div>\n

Johannesburg\u2019s water crisis is showing no signs of easing, with experts warning that without urgent intervention, the city could be headed toward a permanent supply emergency.<\/p>\n

The warning comes after 22 major outages were recorded in just two weeks, alongside repeated pipe bursts and prolonged disruptions in areas such as Kensington, Bez Valley, the CBD and Selby where residents have reportedly endured months without consistent water supply.<\/p>\n

Water expert Dr Anthony Turton said the scale of disruptions confirms that the problem is no longer temporary strain, but a breakdown rooted in governance failures. He argued that key reforms must begin with stopping the politicisation of the sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater should not be a political football. It\u2019s a fundamental human right,\u201d Turton said, adding that it is also \u201cthe foundation of the national economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turton identified three urgent priorities to stabilise the system: ending the use of water infrastructure as a patronage tool, depoliticising decision-making, and restoring public trust through transparency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trust deficit is corrosive, it\u2019s like a cancer in the system,\u201d he said. He also raised alarm over what he described as \u201cwater tanker mafias\u201d that thrive when systems fail, warning that once such structures take root, they become \u201cexceptionally difficult to get out of the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Civil society water advocate Dr Ferrial Adam said residents should brace for continued instability throughout 2026. \u201cWe are going to see a lot more intermittent supplies and breakdowns,\u201d she said, noting that election-year politics could fuel further protests rather than solutions.<\/p>\n

Adam said civil society organisations, including WaterCAN and the Joburg Crisis Alliance, are intensifying pressure for the ring-fencing of water budgets, with hopes that key processes could be finalised by mid-year. \u201cWe take three steps forward and two steps back, but we are moving\u2026 in a good direction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also highlighted the ongoing crisis in Selby, saying it was shocking that residents have relied on tankers for so long. \u201cThat\u2019s because Joburg Water has not had money to fix a pump,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

DA councillor Tyrell Meyers warned that the city\u2019s medium-term water security remains at risk. \u201cIf things don\u2019t change, we are going to be heading for a permanent supply crisis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meyers stressed that improved funding retention and stronger coordination between Johannesburg Water and Rand Water are essential, citing a recent power failure at Palm Ridge that left parts of Midrand and multiple reservoirs without supply.<\/p>\n

It is agreed that without sustained oversight, proper resourcing and credible leadership, Johannesburg\u2019s water crisis will continue to deepen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 02 February 2026 Johannesburg\u2019s water crisis is showing no signs of easing, with experts warning that without urgent intervention, the city could be headed toward a permanent supply emergency. The warning comes after 22 major outages were recorded in just two weeks, alongside repeated pipe bursts and prolonged disruptions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":103587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Water-crisis.jpg?fit=1987%2C1148&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-qWK","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-10 22:15:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}