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Lesufi Unveils R760 Million Joburg Water Fix as Budget Faces Coalition Test

Ongoing outages have intensified demands for clear timelines with measurable delivery.

Overview

  • The province has earmarked R760 million for a phased Johannesburg upgrade, with a Brixton ground reservoir and tower due to go live by the weekend, an emergency booster the following week, and a 5km pipeline slated for completion by year-end.
  • Lesufi said supply in Midrand is fully restored, while parts of Soweto—especially Meadowlands Zones 3 and 4 and areas fed by the Doornkop reservoir—remain unstable.
  • Government plans expanded storage to buffer shocks, including a 20-million-litre Midrand facility matched by a 10-million-litre private contribution, with similar projects signalled for Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and the West Rand.
  • Coalition turbulence threatens next month’s provincial budget as the EFF vows to vote against the ANC, leaving Lesufi’s administration short of a clear majority in the 80-seat legislature.
  • The SOPA also set security and economic markers, with about 450 SANDF members to target illegal mining, a 1 June halt on new informal settlements, reported declines in key crime categories, and R27 billion in FDI last year.