WATCH | Ramaphosa pulls ministers from Sona to tackle Joburg water crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed the ministers of water and sanitation Pemmy Majodina and cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) Velenkosini Hlabisa to urgently attend to Johannesburg’s water crisis instead of attending the 2026 state of the nation address (Sona).

The President’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed the decision on Thursday.

“The president has assigned the ministers of water and Sanitation and Cogta to urgently attend to the water crisis in Johannesburg. They won’t be attending Sona as a result,” said Magwenya.

Magwenya said the president finds the water crisis more important than the Sona.

The president has assigned the ministers of water and Sanitation and Cogta to urgently attend to the water crisis in Johannesburg. They won’t be attending Sona as a result

—  Vincent Magwenya, President’s spokesperson

“The president finds the Johannesburg water crisis deeply distressing and wants to have it resolved as soon as possible,” he said.

Magwenya said Ramaphosa was also concerned about water shortages beyond Gauteng.

“He is equally concerned about reported water shortages in other parts of the country,” said Magwenya.

Ramaphosa is set to deliver the 2026 Sona on Thursday night at the Cape Town city hall, where close to 500 MPs, representatives of local government and invited guests are expected to attend.

Magwenya said water reform would feature prominently in the president’s address.

“Water is certainly going to be one of the central features of the reforms the president will be announcing tonight, and he will be keeping a close eye on the immediate and long-term interventions aimed at stabilising water supply,” he said.

The move comes amid mounting frustration in parts of Johannesburg over prolonged water outages.

Midrand residents recently protested after being without water for six days.

On Wednesday morning, Parktown West residents took to the streets along Jan Smuts Avenue, citing poor service delivery after more than 20 days without water.

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has sought to calm fears, assuring residents the city is not facing a “Day Zero” scenario.

“High consumption in certain areas affects system stability. We are engaging with regions to encourage responsible water use to support system recovery and improve reliability,” said Morero.

At a media briefing on Thursday morning, water and sanitation deputy minister David Mahlobo, who was also pulled out from attending the Sona, said the city needed to expand its infrastructure to meet growing demand.

Morero “has to build more pumps and reservoirs to accommodate the city’s growing population”, Mahlobo said.

Majodina said the scale of the crisis requires significant investment, estimating more than R400bn is needed to address the country’s water challenges.

This is a developing story

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