Water, power and refuse: how to report a fault in all eight metros

A burst pipe, an uncollected bin or a power fault needs a report that can be followed through. Residents across South Africa’s eight metros have different official channels, and a social-media post may leave them without a municipal reference number.

This guide brings the published routes together. Contacts were checked against the official pages linked below on 4 November 2026. TPR has not test-called the numbers or submitted complaints, and cannot certify response times. Check the linked page for later changes.

Start with the responsible provider

Identify who supplies the affected service. Some households receive electricity directly from Eskom rather than the metro. Use the provider shown on your bill or supply record, and describe the physical location of the fault. An account query and an outage can require different teams.

Give the street, suburb, nearest intersection or landmark, when the problem began and what is affected. Keep the description factual. Photograph a visible problem only from a safe position. Keep account numbers, identity documents and private contact details out of public posts.

Official reporting routes

Johannesburg

0860 562 874 · Official contact or reporting page

Joburg Connect handles general service queries, including water, electricity, refuse, roads and municipal accounts. The city says a service ticket is logged where a query needs another department’s attention.

Tshwane

012 358 9999 · Official contact or reporting page

The customer-care page lists the call centre for water, electricity, roads, stormwater, potholes, streetlights and sewers. It also publishes customercare@tshwane.gov.za for service requests and account queries.

Ekurhuleni

0860 543 000 · Official contact or reporting page

The city’s Report It page separates service faults from life-threatening emergencies. For routine service reports it lists the call centre, call.centre@ekurhuleni.gov.za and the My CoE app.

Cape Town

0860 103 089 · Official contact or reporting page

Residents can log a C3 service request through the city’s customer call centre or its online service-request route. Its published categories cover municipal services and maintenance.

eThekwini

031 311 1111 · Official contact or reporting page

The municipal Report a Problem page links separately to water leaks, water outages, electricity faults and cleansing or solid waste. Choose the relevant service channel. The contact number shown here is the general municipal number.

For electricity customers, eThekwini’s electricity fault portal explains its logging and allocation process and lists WhatsApp 064 761 7930. The electricity department separately lists 080 311 1111 for fault logging. These are electricity channels, not a general water-outage line.

Nelson Mandela Bay

0800 20 5050 · Official contact or reporting page

The government directory lists the municipal customer-care number and customercare@mandelametro.gov.za. Specify whether the problem concerns water, electricity, sanitation, refuse or another municipal responsibility so it can be directed correctly.

Buffalo City

086 111 3017 · Official contact or reporting page

The municipal contact page publishes this customer-care number and separate departmental contacts. It identifies the number as an after-hours customer-care route in its footer. Check the department listing when following up a particular service.

Mangaung

0800 111 300 · Official contact or reporting page

The government directory lists Mangaung’s call centre. The municipality also publishes a complaints page requesting the category, description and location of a problem. A displayed web form is not confirmation that a submission has been received.

Mangaung’s published complaints page is another starting point. Ask for a receipt or reference after submission and use the call centre if the form cannot be completed.

Keep one record of the unresolved problem

Write down the reference number, date, service department and any response or promised return call. Ekurhuleni’s official guidance specifically asks callers to obtain a reference and provide clear location details. Keep that reference when following up so the history of the fault remains connected.

If a report remains unresolved, ask the municipality which escalation route applies and what information it needs. Send your reference and a short chronology. A councillor or ward office can help pursue a service query, but a political promise does not confirm that an operational team has received it.

Treat immediate danger as an emergency, using the appropriate official emergency service rather than waiting for a routine service request. Keep away from exposed electrical equipment and other hazards.

Make the service record count after the election

A household’s report is also a starting point for public accountability. A clear record can show repeated failures, missed commitments and whether a repair lasted. Share public evidence with TPR’s research desk when there is a specific issue to investigate, while protecting private household information.

For financial assistance rather than a fault, read how to check free basic water and electricity support. For the wider record facing city councils, read the eight-metro audit analysis.