Your street may differ: each report covers a reservoir or tower and the area it feeds, and higher streets lose water first. What JW's words mean
Day by day
In 2026 so far: 15 days short of water for Meadowlands Reservoir, from 189 days with a report; 3 days for Jabulani Reservoir, from 189. A typical supply in the city, the median one (half had fewer), had 4 days.
Each square is a day, as JW reported it for a supply: a reservoir or tower that JW reports on. The number at the right is the month's days short of water.
In 2026 so far, JW reported at least one of Mofolo's 2 supplies short of water on 17 days
3 March 2025 to 29 September 2026, from 569 days with a JW report.
Jabulani Reservoir
In 2026 so far: 3 days short of water, from 189 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun0
Jul0
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun2
Jul1
Aug0
Sep0
Meadowlands Reservoir
In 2026 so far: 15 days short of water, from 189 days with a JW report.
11531short
2025
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul0
AugNo JW boards, Aug 2025 to Jan 2026
2026
Feb1
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul6
Aug4
Sep3
water as normal
supplying fairly
JW warned
low, or weak in places
short of water
critically low
shut for the night
not on the scale
no JW report
still filling in
JW's reported status of the reservoir or tower, not measured water at taps. Boards from March 2025.
Source: Johannesburg Water's System Update boards and notices, read by us. How this record is made.
Cite this figure
watersearch (2026). “In 2026 so far, JW reported at least one of Mofolo's 2 supplies short of water on 17 days”. Data release 2026-09-29-318d9dca. https://watersearch.co.za/suburb/mofolo#fig-year
The data as a table
Supply
Month
Days reported
Days in record
Adequate or fair
Poor pressure in places, or low
Warning: no water may occur
Poor pressure to no water
Critically low
Overnight closure
Jabulani Reservoir
March 2025
18
29
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
April 2025
13
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
May 2025
13
31
1
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
June 2025
28
30
28
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
July 2025
24
31
24
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
February 2026
7
28
7
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
March 2026
20
31
18
0
2
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
April 2026
30
30
30
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
May 2026
31
31
31
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
June 2026
30
30
27
0
1
2
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
July 2026
31
31
27
3
0
0
1
0
Jabulani Reservoir
August 2026
20
31
20
0
0
0
0
0
Jabulani Reservoir
September 2026
20
29
20
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
March 2025
18
29
18
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
April 2025
12
30
12
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
May 2025
13
31
13
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
June 2025
28
30
25
2
0
1
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
July 2025
24
31
23
1
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
August 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
September 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
October 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
November 2025
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
December 2025
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
January 2026
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
February 2026
7
28
1
5
0
1
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
March 2026
20
31
0
20
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
April 2026
30
30
17
12
0
0
0
1
Meadowlands Reservoir
May 2026
31
31
29
2
0
0
0
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
June 2026
30
30
24
4
0
1
0
1
Meadowlands Reservoir
July 2026
31
31
21
4
0
2
4
0
Meadowlands Reservoir
August 2026
20
31
15
0
0
4
0
1
Meadowlands Reservoir
September 2026
20
29
17
0
0
3
0
0
A day counts as short of water when JW's worst report for it that day was “poor pressure to no water” or “critically low”, as happening or expected (expected most often means higher streets). A warning that it may occur does not count.
In short
The latest JW report on this site is from 29 September 2026; the site last read JW's website on 1 October. Jabulani Reservoir and Meadowlands Reservoir were supplying fairly. This year Meadowlands Reservoir was short of water on 15 of the 189 days JW reported it. A typical reservoir or tower in the city had 4 such days. On Meadowlands Reservoir, half of its last 10 outages were over within 9 hours; the longest since March 2025 lasted 39 hours. No JW notice we have read names Meadowlands Reservoir. None of the 5 passed end dates on its page was met.
Meadowlands Reservoir, 29 September 2026: supplying fairly at 13:20 (JW: “Supplying fairly”), then closed overnight on purpose at 20:15 (JW: “Outlet closed as part of Water Demand Management”).
JW put it on its website 1 October 2026 at 13:40. JW's page for this board ↗ · JW's image of the board ↗
“On bypass” is JW's term. When JW repaired Hursthill 2 Reservoir from December 2025, it put the reservoir on bypass so that teams could work safely inside, and customers still received water; the news reports said this could bring periods of low pressure or no water (EWN ↗, The Citizen ↗). A reservoir or tower on bypass does not count as back when this page checks JW's end dates.
Johannesburg Water's lists name this area as Mofolo Central. Source 1 ↗
Outages
JW reported 16 outages on Mofolo's supplies since March 2025. The longest lasted 39 hours. Every outage, with how long it lasted: Jabulani Reservoir and Meadowlands Reservoir.
JW's end dates
JW posted 7 notices with an end date that list a suburb or system Mofolo's supplies feed. Most name only suburbs, not the reservoir or tower, so the summary at the top uses only a notice that names the supply itself. By the stated time JW's boards showed the water back on none of the 10 end times that have passed. Each end date against what happened: Jabulani Reservoir and Meadowlands Reservoir.
Under strain
In 2026 so far, Mofolo had 22 days under strain: days when JW reported any of its supplies low or worse, or warned that higher-lying areas may lose water. This is a wider count than days short of water.
The network is linked. Mofolo draws on all its supplies at once, and when one runs low the others carry more. At such times JW's boards sometimes warn of “poor pressure to no water in higher-lying areas”: under strain, higher streets lose water first. JW does not say which streets those are.
What JW's boards cannot tell you
JW's boards report reservoirs and towers, so some things are not in this record:
Whether water reaches your street or your tap.
Which streets lose water first: JW warns of higher-lying areas but does not name the streets.
Why a supply ran low, unless a JW notice gives a reason.
Pipe bursts, tankers and valve work, which are not on the boards.