Rand Water Tells Parliament Gauteng Loses More Treated Water Than Western Cape Supplies

Rand Water chief executive Sipho Mosai told Parliament on November 14 that Gauteng loses more treated water through leaks than the entire Western Cape's purified water supply, and that pumping more water will not fix the province's supply crisis. The bulk water supplier appeared before the portfolio committee on water and sanitation, Iol reported. Rand Water is a South African government-owned bulk water utility, established in 1903 and wholly owned by the Department of Water and Sanitation, supplying potable water to over 11 million people across Gauteng and adjacent provinces.

Mosai's Case Against Pumping More Water

Mosai blamed municipal infrastructure failures, particularly leaking pipes in Johannesburg, for undermining supply and threatening the utility's sustainability. He rejected suggestions that Rand Water should simply pump more water into the system, calling that approach "strategically unwise" and unsustainable. He warned that treatment plants could not keep meeting what he called "superfluous demand" while infrastructure was being run into the ground.

"We have also acknowledged that our sustainability is not guaranteed if about 1.5 billion litres of water that we put into the system is lost through leaks; an environment of non-revenue of 50% of the water that we supply isn't going to assist," Mosai said. He described maintenance and leak repair as the province's "Achilles heel", saying the water lost in Gauteng alone could build another Johannesburg.

Rand Water also rejected accusations that it had throttled supplies ahead of the previous week's local government elections. Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo told the committee the utility had continued pumping the volumes it was licensed to supply, including under a temporary licence. Mahlobo said the main problem was water-use efficiency and asset management further down the supply chain, particularly reticulation systems managed by water services authorities.

What Rand Water's Records Show

Rand Water's own innovation work has centred on leak detection, according to akta.pro company records. The utility scaled a portfolio of approximately 40 prioritised innovation pilot projects, 16 of them completed by 2023, including satellite leak detection, drone inspection, sub-surface 3D pipe mapping to 20 metres depth and real-time bacterial detection. The same records show Rand Water established the Rand Water Institute at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria in 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary to drive its risk-based innovation strategy.

Power Failures and Pressure Before the Hearing

Earlier incidents added to pressure on the network. A power outage at the Mapleton Pumping Station on November 2 left Rand Water unable to pump water, affecting Ekurhuleni and other municipalities, Engineering News reported. On October 20, Rand Water warned that consumption by several municipal customers had reached exceptionally high levels, placing the system under pressure. A power outage at Eskom disrupted its Zuikerbosch and Lethabo pumping stations on September 28, with recovery taking four hours.

Municipal Debts and the Committee's Next Steps

The committee heard that water boards were owed almost R10 billion. Rand Water identified Emfuleni, Merafong City, Rand West City and Govan Mbeki as its worst defaulters, owing a combined R5.6 billion. Mahlobo said non-payment by water services authorities remained one of the biggest risks facing the sector and threatened water boards' ability to keep supplying water.