Attacq’s 1.3m-litre backup buffers impact of Joburg water crisis

JSE-listed Attacq says it continues to invest in water resilience infrastructure to cushion the blow of dry taps on operations at its properties and precincts, especially in Johannesburg.

Residents and businesses in parts of the city have been hamstrung by water supply disruptions for some time, caused by a combination of ageing infrastructure, high demand and leaks in the system, among other issues.

Midrand, which is home to one of the country’s major business, residential and logistics hubs Waterfall City, has been among the hardest hit.

Attacq, lead developer of Waterfall City, says it has gone to great lengths to reduce the impact on its residential and retail assets and other office buildings under its portfolio.

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“Over the past few years, Attacq has taken deliberate steps to strengthen the sustainability and reliability of its precincts, expanding infrastructure through the completion of an additional 1.3 megawatt-peak [MWp] of rooftop solar PV and installing 1.3 million litres of water backup capacity,” Attacq CEO Jackie van Niekerk told Moneyweb

She was speaking following the release of the group’s interim results on Tuesday.

“These investments help ensure that precincts remain operational and protected during periods of strain on municipal systems,” she added.

To further strengthen resilience, Van Niekerk says Attacq has established a dedicated task team that actively monitors and oversees water systems across its precincts, including talks with Johannesburg Water, to support coordinated planning and rapid response.

She says it’s difficult to quantify the impact of the water shortages in the city and other affected regions, but the group believes the latest results signal its resilience.

In the six months ended 31 December 2025, the group’s occupancy improved to 93.7% and 92.5% of leases expiring in the period were successfully renewed – “reflecting strong client demand across the group’s retail, collaboration and logistics hubs”.

Attacq share price

The Waterfall City-based company, with a R12.9 billion market cap on the JSE, increased its distributable income per share by 9.6% to 60.3 cents, driven by contractual rental escalations, improved occupancy levels, and income from newly developed buildings.

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Retail-experience hubs maintained high occupancy levels of 97.8%, while collaboration hubs recorded occupancy of 88.4% as many businesses are returning to work full time.

Portfolio trading density increased by 4.2%, supported by a 2.9% increase in total tenant turnover to R15.3 billion, while the rent-to-turnover ratio remained stable at 6.7%.

Listen to Suren Naidoo’s interview with Attacq CEO Jackie van Niekerk in this episode of The Property Pod (or read the highlights here):

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.