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

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.

Councillor welcomes upgrades, condemns supervision

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.

“When the contractors don’t get paid because the City has no money, the holes are left open when they down tools. When they eventually get paid, they are eager to move on to the next job and never come back to fill them. I am left with holes all over the suburbs which are developing into sinkholes.”

He questioned the additional costs of repeated damage, particularly the need to deploy water tankers, flush entire water systems and conduct laboratory testing before supplies could be restored.

“These expenses to the City are simply because the work is not being supervised.”

Da Rochas said residents were becoming increasingly frustrated.

“The area is very stressed. Residents are at the end of their tether. This cannot carry on. The wheels are coming off.”

Malvern residents endure similar problems

Ward 118 councillor Neuren Pietersen said residents of Malvern had experienced similar problems, with water interruptions lasting up to two weeks.

He too accused Johannesburg Water of allowing contractors to carry out excavation work without adequate supervision, resulting in repeated damage to underground infrastructure.

“The City lets contractors go in like cowboys, with no supervision. They use TLBs (tractor-loader-backhoe) which destroy the water pipes, allowing sewage to get into them.”

Both councillors questioned why contractors were being allowed to operate heavy machinery near water and sewer infrastructure without sufficient oversight.

Four water-quality scares in Bez Valley

The first major incident occurred in late December when residents reported foul-smelling and discoloured tap water following damage to sewer and drinking-water infrastructure along the Albertina Sisulu Road corridor.

Water-quality testing confirmed contamination, prompting the isolation of affected pipelines, flushing operations and the deployment of alternative water supplies. Restrictions continued into January 2026.

A further precautionary incident was reported in April, when problems involving the local distribution network prompted additional isolation and flushing operations in Bezuidenhout Valley.

The latest Bezuidenhout Valley incident occurred this week, when a contractor replacing a sewer pipe damaged a drinking-water pipeline at the corner of 6th Street and 8th Avenue.

Johannesburg Water confirmed that the incident required another precautionary shutdown while water samples were collected for laboratory testing.

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the pipeline was damaged when a tree stump fell on it during excavation work by a contractor undertaking sewer pipe replacement.

Repairs were completed on Wednesday night, 21 October, but the water supply remained isolated while flushing and laboratory testing continued.

“Contamination has not been confirmed; the communication is a precautionary measure that the Entity is taking. There is no confirmation of water contamination.”

Shabalala said the precautionary notice affected properties along 8th Avenue at the intersections of 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Streets.

Residents were advised not to consume or use the water until Johannesburg Water issued an official clearance notice.

Alternative water supplies would continue to be provided until laboratory results confirmed that the water was safe.

Water Crisis Committee urges caution

In a statement issued on 21 October, the Water Crisis Committee urged residents not to spread unverified reports about possible water contamination while acknowledging legitimate public-health concerns.

The committee said precautionary testing should not be interpreted as confirmation that drinking water was contaminated.

“Our responsibility is to distinguish between rumours, reported incidents and scientifically established facts. We must neither create unnecessary panic nor dismiss legitimate concerns.”

Daily Maverick asked Johannesburg Water how many suspected or confirmed contamination incidents had been recorded in the affected areas over the past two months, and whether any were linked to damage caused during sewer repairs.

The utility was also asked what supervision procedures were in place, how many incidents of contractor-related damage had been recorded and what action was taken against contractors responsible.

Further questions concerned laboratory results, precautionary notices and measures to protect residents.

Johannesburg Water’s response confirmed the circumstances surrounding the latest incident, but did not address the broader questions about contractor supervision, previous incidents or the additional costs of repeated repairs and precautionary shutdowns. DM