The Mangaung metro water system is operating under strictly controlled conditions following water-shedding in the south of Bloemfontein over the past weekend.
Even after rationing between the Welbedacht water treatment plant and the Brandkop reservoir officially ended on Monday (9/2), many households reported their taps remained dry. This gap between the official announcement of restoration and the actual arrival of water has sparked frustration, prompting the municipality to clarify the physical constraints of the city’s ageing water network.
Meanwhile, technical teams are using active monitoring to stabilise reservoir levels and ensure the return to a continuous supply is sustainable. In response, infrastructure services MMC Vusi Soqaga said the delays are a result of storage levels and specific system constraints rather than a failure to reopen the supply lines. The recent rationing was a temporary necessity intended to manage the city’s limited reserves and was never meant to be a permanent fixture of municipal service, he added.
The current priority for technical teams is to ensure the network remains stable while the reservoirs slowly recover their depth. Regarding the staggered recovery times, he emphasised the process is dictated by the physical realities of hydraulics. “Storage levels and system constraints mean it is not intended to be permanent. “With supply restored, our focus is on maintaining system stability through close monitoring, pressure management, and operational control while storage continues to recover,” said Soqaga.
Regarding delays in restoration times in some areas, this is often influenced by factors such as network rebalancing, pressure build-up, airlocks, localised valve operations, and varying distances from reservoirs. These technical realities can result in staggered recovery even after system-wide restoration has been announced.
The situation is being handled with precision, Soqaga said. Upon inspection, the strainer was found to be free of significant debris. Mangaung is in the process of restoring the supply to assess the system’s response. This “careful monitoring” is essential to prevent a sudden surge of water from bursting pipes that have been weakened by the recent dry spell.
Meanwhile, the city’s leadership is preparing for a summit on urban stability. Mayor Gregory Nthatisi and public safety MMC Logan Kruger are scheduled to host the Safer City Indaba next Wednesday (18/2) and Thursday at the Bloemfontein City Hall.
The indaba aims to strengthen safety in the city and encourage collaborative efforts by working together with various stakeholders from the security sector and institutions of higher education.
