Johannesburg Water has intensified measures to protect the city’s water supply as forecasts of hotter and drier conditions linked to El Niño raise concerns about water availability. In a statement reported on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, the utility said it was managing reservoir levels, strengthening pressure controls and prioritising leak repairs across Johannesburg. The interventions aim to balance available water with demand while reducing losses from a supply system that is already under pressure.
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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has reported progress on the province’s e toll debt, Gautrain expansion plans and lifestyle audits during a state of governance briefing on Wednesday, 16 September 2026. Speaking about transport, government accountability and public safety, Lesufi said Gauteng had paid R13 billion of its R20 billion e toll debt as of June and completed lifestyle audits for all provincial government CEOs and heads of department. He also announced further administrative progress on Gautrain expansion and outlined plans to strengthen the police response to recent murders of women in Kempton Park.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared Wednesday, 4 November 2026, a public holiday across South Africa to coincide with election day. The Presidency announced the decision on Tuesday, 15 September, giving registered voters in Gauteng and the rest of the country the day to participate in the municipal polls. The declaration was made under Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, while employers have been urged to make provision for employees to exercise their right to vote.
Gauteng residents can use the provincial government’s free Gauteng e Panic Button app to request emergency assistance when they face danger. Launched in 2024, the initiative uses smartphone location information to connect people in distress with an emergency response network. Residents across Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng and the West Rand can also prepare personal safety kits, save emergency contacts and familiarise themselves with available support services before an emergency occurs.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced a police lockdown of Kempton Park and surrounding areas after authorities confirmed that eight women’s bodies had been recovered in Ekurhuleni over the past two months. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed the updated death toll during a meeting with senior police officials in Parktown on Tuesday night, 15 September 2026.
A woman reported missing in Kempton Park has returned alive and a kidnapping case has been opened, as police investigate the deaths of at least five women found in and around the Ekurhuleni area in recent months. The woman was allegedly abducted in Rhodesfield and later arrived at Tembisa South police station, according to police information reported on 15 September 2026.
Police have dismantled a suspected Mandrax manufacturing laboratory in Erasmia, Pretoria, where drugs and equipment valued at about R110 million were seized during a wider nationwide crackdown on the illicit drug trade. Two Mozambican nationals were arrested during the Gauteng operation, which involved the Hawks, Crime Intelligence, K9 West Rand and the Special Task Force Pretoria.
Gauteng residents looking for jobs, training, skills development and business support will be able to access opportunities through the new Vul’Amathuba Campaign, which will officially launch at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 29 September 2026. Gauteng Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa will launch the province-wide initiative to connect job seekers, unemployed graduates, artisans, creatives, and aspiring entrepreneurs with opportunities to participate in the provincial economy.
The South African Police Service has established a dedicated multidisciplinary task team after the bodies of four women were found in and around Kempton Park, Gauteng, over approximately two months. The latest body was discovered on Saturday evening, prompting police to warn women, particularly those in the Rhodesfield area, to exercise caution while detectives investigate similarities between the deaths.
South Africans with grid-connected rooftop solar systems have until 30 September 2026 to take advantage of Eskom’s current waiver on…