By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng residents can expect water supply to return after Rand Water completed major maintenance on the O2 pipeline ahead of the schedule.
Spokesperson Makenosi Maroo confirmed that the extensive leak repair work was finalised in the early hours of Friday morning, wrapping up ahead of schedule.
“We are pleased to report that work on the O2 pipeline leak repair was successfully completed in the early hours of this morning, at 2:00, on Friday, 18 July 2025.”
The large-scale maintenance effort, which began on 29 June, involved reducing pumping capacity from the Palmiet Pumping Station to facilitate repairs — a move that led to reduced water pressure in several municipalities, including Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Madibeng.
Earlier this week, Rand Water urged residents and businesses to use water sparingly while technicians worked to resolve the issue. Despite temporary disruptions, the utility says it successfully managed the system throughout the repair period to prevent major outages.
“We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding,” said Maroo.
With the repairs completed, Rand Water is now ramping up pumping operations and monitoring systems closely to ensure a smooth return to full supply levels across affected areas.
Meanwhile South Africa’s water resources and drinking water have been contaminated with microplastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and anti-retrovirals (ARVs) that could pose risks to human health and the environment.
The grim details were revealed in several studies commissioned since the year 2000 by the Water Research Commission (WRC), an entity of the department of water and sanitation (DWS), along with local and international research organisations.
The studies were commissioned to probe the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in water resources and drinking water.
One of the studies related to anti-retrovirals (ARVs) was undertaken by the University of North West. The study found traces of ARVs in samples taken from rivers and potable water sources.
In a statement, water and sanitation department spokesperson Wisane Mavasa said that traces of ARVs are entering municipal sewage systems and passing through these systems into rivers.
“This can be attributed to the pharmacological process where the active part of the medication is absorbed by the body, leaving the residual to be discharged from the body, subsequently finding its way into the sewage system.
“These traces of ARVs can then also be present in water that has been extracted from rivers by municipalities to be treated and supplied as potable water,” Mavasa said.
Mavasa said the key quality risks to human health of a biological and microbiological nature are “well understood and regulated in South Africa”.
“The traces of pharmaceuticals, microplastics and other such CECs that have been found in water resources in South Africa are very small, measured in nanograms (one billionth of a gram). Conventional water and wastewater treatment technologies are designed to remove much larger contaminants such as particles of faeces and bacteria.”