Johannesburg Water has warned residents from the West Rand in Gauteng to use water sparingly after high water usage was detected in the district. High water consumption was detected in areas supplied by the Doornkop North metre, including Doornkop, Tshepisong, Slovoville and Matholeville.

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala explained that the high consumption rate is caused by illegal connections and on-property leaks, mainly in the informal settlements. "The ongoing high consumption has a negative impact on other suburbs in these supply zones, including Dobsonville and Protea Glen."

According to Shabalala, the demand is exceeding the supply. "Though Rand Water is pumping and supplying, the increased demand on the entire system has resulted in reservoirs being unable to maintain capacity. Over the past few months, Rand Water has been holding daily joint operations committee (JOC) meetings with Johannesburg Water, the City of Tshwane and the City of Ekurhuleni in efforts to find strategies and solutions to address this high demand issue. Furthermore, Joburg Water technical teams have been working behind the scenes, implementing daily internal interventions to mitigate the situation and improve water supply to its customers," said Shabalala.