Johannesburg – Newly elected Joburg Mayor Thapelo Amad has reassured Johannesburg residents that the city’s water is safe for consumption.
Amad’s remarks come after reports surfaced on social media that a resident noticed blue water when opening the tap a few days ago.
“Following these reports, Joburg Water launched an investigation to establish the source of this problem,” said a city statement.
Amad said that Joburg Water managed to take a sample on February 1 at Sontonga Lofts in Braamfontein West, Johannesburg.
The mayor said that at the time of taking the samples, the water was clear and not blue.
“The samples were submitted to the lab for testing, and the results will be available later today (February 2, 2023).
“Furthermore, the complainant later confirmed on social media that the blue water was only at their unit, which was caused by an internal plumbing issue,” said Amad.
He said that the internal issues were resolved by a private plumber. Johannesburg Water is in the process of contacting the customer and the plumber to understand what the issue was that caused the incident.
Amad explained that the City of Johannesburg has been experiencing challenges with its water supply since the beginning of the year.
“Johannesburg Water’s overall communication to customers since September 2022 has been regular messaging, urging them to reduce consumption, as this directly impacts the recovery of affected systems. During this time, Johannesburg Water has issued media statements twice a day and continuously published and updated information on their social media platforms,” he added.
He also announced that the city, through Joburg Water, has invested just over R400 million, which will be used over the next 18 months to build and upgrade the bulk water infrastructure, especially along the Commando system (Crosby and Brixton), which is always the hardest hit by water shortages.
The Star