The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg was forced to close its doors on Thursday due to an ongoing water crisis affecting large parts of the city.
Gauteng High Court shuts down: Here’s the latest
The Office of the Chief Justice confirmed the closure in a statement, citing the inability to maintain basic sanitation and operational requirements.
The court announced that it would close at 11:00 on Thursday, 13 February 2025, with all cases scheduled for the day postponed until further notice. Affected parties would be contacted regarding alternative arrangements.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the statement read.
This unexpected disruption is part of a broader water crisis gripping Johannesburg and surrounding municipalities, as Rand Water struggles to maintain supply amid rising demand and infrastructure failures.
Johannesburg water situation intensifies
Rand Water has sounded the alarm over critically low reservoir levels, blaming excessive water consumption and infrastructure failures for the worsening crisis.
Despite supplying water at maximum capacity, storage levels are depleting faster than they can be replenished.
According to Rand Water’s latest update:
- Johannesburg’s water consumption continues to increase, despite warnings to conserve supply.
- Tshwane is exceeding its licensed water quota, worsening the situation for other municipalities.
Power failures at the Emfuleni power substation further escalated the crisis, disrupting operations at the Vereeniging Water Treatment Plant.
Moreover, the failure of a transformer on Monday, 11 February 2025, led to outages affecting key reservoirs supplying areas such as Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark, Sasolburg, Forest Hill, Yeoville, Benoni, and Eikenhof.
Municipalities affected include:
- Emfuleni;
- Metsimaholo;
- Ngwathe;
- Rustenburg;
- Royal Bafokeng;
- Rand West;
- Merafong; and
- Mogale City.
This crisis has already impacted essential services, with hospitals, schools, and government buildings struggling to operate under severe water restrictions.
Rand Water has urged residents to reduce consumption immediately, warning that continued overuse could lead to a complete system collapse.