by Thinus Ferreira
With Johannesburg's water supply woes stretching into a second week and hitting the Randburg area especially hard where pay-TV operator MultiChoice as well as M-Net and SuperSport are headquartered, I'm told the buildings remain operational although non-essential staff are working remotely with some in-building staff perks like the car wash and gum shuttered.
Johannesburg's crippled and imploding water supply system broke down completely this past weekend a week ago, leaving reservoirs across the city empty and with homes and businesses without water in taps for days and counting.
By Sunday at least seven reservoirs across Johannesburg remain empty after a week - with more than 300 000 people in homes and businesses without running water - including large parts of Randburg and surrounding areas.
MultiChoice City, the pan-African pay-TV operator's main building in Bram Fischer Drive, is located inside the water-depleted area in Randburg, with the original MultiChoice building and annexed M-Net and SuperSport complex across the road, also affected.
TVwithThinus has been told that MultiChoice told non-essential staff to work from home - which they are since last week and will continue to this week - for both the MultiChoice City as well as adjacent buildings.
The MultiChoice City building has some sustainable building features, like using grey water collection from the gym reused for toilet and urinal flushing.
The remaining MultiChoice, M-Net and SuperSport staff working within the buildings are fine, with water reserves continuously
being delivered to the offices - both drinking water and grey water.
I'm told the building is quieter than usual but that there have been no issues with using either the restroom or kitchen facilities within the building.
Some staff perks like the car wash at the MultiChoice City premises and the use of the gym within the building have been suspended.
