The City of Matlosana’s ongoing water crisis has escalated after a burst pipeline left large parts of Klerksdorp and surrounding townships without running water, crippling services at the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex and bringing court proceedings to a halt.
Repairs, apologies and patchy relief
The municipality said its technical team from the Municipal Water Section attended to the burst main and carried out repairs. In a statement, municipal spokeswoman Ntswaki Makgetha apologised for the disruption and said residents would be kept updated as work progressed.
“The Municipal Water Section’s technical team is attending to the burst pipe and carrying out the necessary repairs to restore water supply as quickly and safely as possible.” — Ntswaki Makgetha
Local communities reported outages of up to three days. In Jouberton, Khuma and Tigane, residents said they were forced to rely on limited deliveries and stored water while the municipality worked to repair the damaged section of pipe.
Hospitals ran on reserve tanks and tankers
The outage affected the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex when the municipality shut water valves supplying the facility to allow repairs on the burst main near Vuselela College on 30 July. The municipality completed repairs by 3 August, but the hospital’s reservoirs had already run down.
Hospital spokesman Tefo Tladi said the facility’s water could not be fully restored until its reservoirs reached a minimum operating level. Full supply returned in the early hours of 5 August. The municipality sent water tankers to critical areas including the kitchen and admissions department to keep essential services functioning while reservoirs were refilled.
Tladi did not supply details on how clinical services, elective procedures or infection-control protocols were affected during the outage. The temporary reliance on tanker deliveries exposed the vulnerability of health facilities to interruptions in distributed municipal supply.
Courts and detainees affected
The shortage also brought the Klerksdorp Magistrates Court to a standstill. A court source said that proceedings ended at about 13:00 on both Tuesday and Wednesday because there was no running water in the building, including in the court’s 16 holding cells. The interruption halted urgent court business and raises questions about detainees’ access to basic sanitation and hygiene during court operations.
Who was affected
Residents in multiple wards struggled without water for prolonged periods. The municipality’s action to isolate and repair the burst main had immediate knock-on effects across townships and essential services.
- Jouberton: reported up to three days without running water
- Khuma: experienced multi-day outages following the burst
- Tigane: residents also faced extended supply interruptions
| Area | Reported outage | Critical services affected |
|---|---|---|
| Jouberton | Up to 3 days | Households |
| Khuma | Up to 3 days | Households |
| Tigane | Up to 3 days | Households |
| Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex | Reservoirs drained; supply fully restored 5 Aug | Hospital operations, kitchen, admissions |
| Klerksdorp Magistrates Court | Proceedings halted 13:00 on Tue & Wed | Courts, holding cells |
Longer-term concerns and practical implications
The incident underscores persistent municipal water infrastructure problems that have periodically disrupted services in the City of Matlosana. When hospitals and courts are dependent on bulk supply with limited reserve capacity, a single pipe failure can quickly cascade into a crisis for patients, detainees and ordinary households.
For residents affected by outages, practical steps are immediate: secure safe drinking water from municipal distribution points where available, boil water if unsure about potability, conserve stored water for hygiene and cooking, and report leaks or burst pipes to the municipality’s call centre so repairs can be prioritised. People with chronic health conditions should contact their clinics or hospital departments in advance when possible.
The municipality has promised updates as repairs progress. For now, the episode is a reminder that maintenance and contingency planning for essential services remain urgent priorities for local government if hospitals and courts — and the communities they serve — are to be protected from avoidable disruptions.
Reporting from Klerksdorp.
