A joint working committee, led by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), will be established to identify solutions to ensure that Rand Water obtains a reliable electricity supply.
This followed an urgently convened stakeholder meeting this week after the pumping operations of Rand Water’s Eikenhof Booster Station was impacted by a power outage on Tuesday.
City Power reported a major power outage on Monday, triggered by an incident at the Fordsburg substation, affecting the Orlando switching station and resulting in widespread power loss.
Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers David Mahlobo and Jack Bloom, at the request of Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, met with Rand Water, the Gauteng provincial government, the City of Johannesburg and its entities including City Power and Johannesburg Water, as well as representatives of State-owned power utility Eskom, to discuss reliable electricity supply for Rand Water’s water supply systems in an effort to reduce water supply disruptions emanating from intermittent power trips.
The meeting, which was also attended by Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero, unpacked detailed reports from Rand Water and City Power on the ongoing impact of the recent City Power electricity interruptions on Rand Water’s water supply systems.
