Joburg is using 445 million litres too much water a day. What next

Rand Water says it may cut bulk supply to Gauteng municipalities that keep using more water than they are allowed. The utility is already pumping at full capacity and says demand has hit record levels (Engineering News).

Johannesburg is the biggest problem. It is drawing 1,801 million litres a day against a licensed allocation of 1,356 million litres, so it is about 445 million litres a day over (Engineering News).

Which municipalities are over their limit?

These are Rand Water's figures, as reported on 20 October 2026 (Engineering News):

• Johannesburg: using 1,801 million litres a day. Licensed allocation 1,356 million, temporary limit 1,528 million. Needs an immediate cut of 273 million litres a day.
• Tshwane: using 794 million litres a day against an allocation of 752 million. Needs an immediate cut of 42 million litres a day.
• Emfuleni: also above both its permanent and temporary allocations.
• Ekurhuleni: using 1,005 million litres a day, below its 1,022 million permanent allocation. It was not flagged.

eNCA also lists Mogale City, Madibeng, Merafong and Lesedi among the over-consuming municipalities (eNCA).

Will my water be cut?

Not yet, and no dates have been announced. Rand Water says it will take "appropriate steps to protect the system and curtail supply" to customers that keep over-consuming (Engineering News). Its customers are the municipalities, so any cut would hit the bulk supply to a city, which then reaches homes as low pressure or outages, usually first in high-lying areas.

The utility says it has repeatedly warned municipalities and held meetings on ways to bring demand down, but high use in some areas continues (The Citizen).

Why is this happening now?

Rand Water says it is pumping at maximum capacity while demand keeps rising, and that sustained overconsumption "heightens the risk of disruptions" across the network (The Citizen). Hot weather is pushing use up. Leaks and unbilled water add to the pressure: Tshwane recorded no income for about 39% of its water in 2024/25 (GroundUp).

What can I do?

Rand Water has asked residents and businesses to use water responsibly (The Citizen). Cutting garden watering, fixing leaking taps and toilets, and keeping a few litres of drinking water stored for outages all help. Report leaks and burst pipes to your municipality, and follow its official channels for any restriction notices.