Rand Water to Restrict Supply to Johannesburg and Tshwane; Tshwane Issues Boil Water Notice for Pret

Rand Water to Restrict Supply to Johannesburg and Tshwane; Tshwane Issues Boil Water Notice for Pretoria CBD

Rand Water has confirmed it will restrict bulk water supplies to Johannesburg and Tshwane after both metros continuously exceeded their daily consumption allocations.

According to Rand Water’s latest figures, the City of Johannesburg is drawing 1,801 million litres per day against a licensed allocation of 1,356 million litres and a temporary limit of 1,528 million litres. The City of Tshwane is using 794 million litres per day, above its licensed allocation of 752 million litres.

Rand Water said excessive water consumption places an unfair burden on municipalities that remain within their permitted limits.

In a separate incident, residents and businesses in Pretoria CBD and surrounding areas have been instructed to boil tap water after contamination was detected in the supply from Findlay Reservoir.

The City of Tshwane said a burst sewer pipe allowed contaminated water to enter the supply system. Tests conducted on 21 October detected microbial levels exceeding the capacity of the existing chlorination measures.

The city has isolated the affected source, emptied Findlay Reservoir and switched the affected areas to an alternative water supply from Salvokop Reservoir.

Residents were advised that although the affected source has been isolated and an alternative supply activated, they must continue to observe the boil-water advisory until further testing confirms that the water is safe for consumption.

The municipality advised residents to discard stored tap water and ice made from tap water and bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, food preparation or brushing teeth.

Affected areas include Arcadia, Asiatic Bazaar and Extension 1, Marabastad, Phillip Nel Park, Pretoria Central, Sunnyside and Trevenna.

1. Mail & Guardian – Rand Water to restrict water supply to Johannesburg and Tshwane – 23 Oct 2026

2. BusinessTech / The Gazette – Pretoria residents urged to boil water after sewage contamination – 23 Oct 2026

3. IOL – Tshwane issues boil-water warning for Pretoria CBD after sewage contamination – 22 Oct 2026

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