Water off in much of Cape Town from Tuesday to Thursday (26 to 28 August 2025)

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be doing planned work in the identified areas, which will result in water supply disruption. 

Residents in the affected areas are encouraged to take note of the work that will take place and prepare accordingly.

Maintenance work, including pipe and valve installations, repairs and replacements.

Residents are advised to store enough water in advance as a precautionary measure. Water should be stored in clean, sealed containers. This precaution does not guarantee all residents will have water disruptions, but it aims to ensure they are able to prepare in the event it does occur.

Planned maintenance work will result in a water supply disruption to these areas:

Khayelitsha high-lying areas: Kuyasa, Harare, Litha Park, Ndlovini, Nkanini and Zwelitsha

The water supply to the high-lying areas in Khayelitsha will be shut off temporarily from 10:00 until 17:00 on Tuesday, 26 August 2025.

This will enable the zone management team to test the discreetness of the existing zone and to simulate the bulk reticulation line from the Baden Powell Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) station to the Swartklip (Spine Road PRV) supply. These residents will experience low water pressure to no water during this period.

Part of the CBD – Cape Town

Maintenance teams will be doing a temporary test shut-off of the water main in Lower Bree Street in the Cape Town CBD from 09:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday, 26 August 2025, to allow for a new connection to be made in Lower Bree Street, from Hans Strydom Avenue to the Cul-De-Sac will be affected. Consumers along the affected street will experience no water supply during these times.

Part of Woodstock

Maintenance teams will be doing a temporary test shut-off of the water main in Ravenscraig Road and Armadale Road in Woodstock from 10:00 to 13:00 on Tuesday, 26 August 2025. This test is in preparation for the actual water shut-off scheduled from 09:00 to 18:00 on Thursday, 28 August 2025, to allow for a new connection to be made in Ravenscraig Road. Consumers along the affected streets will experience no water supply during these times.

Maitland

Maintenance teams will be doing a temporary test shut-off of the water main in Voortrekker Road, Maitland, from 09:00 to 13:00 on Wednesday, 27 August 2025.

The affected area is Voortrekker Road between Camp Road and Cannon Road, and possibly the immediate surrounds.

This test is in preparation for the actual water shut-off scheduled from 09:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday, 2 September 2025, to accommodate a new connection to the water main to the area. Consumers along the affected streets will experience no water supply during these times.

Additional information regarding the full shut-off on 2 September 2025 will be provided in next week’s communique.

Mountview Estate, Hatton Estate, Belthorn and Penlyn Estate

Maintenance teams will be doing a temporary shut-off of the 535mm diameter water main in Turfhall Road, Lansdowne, from 09:00 to 18:00 on Wednesday, 27 August 2025.

This is to allow for the diversion of the 535mm diameter water supply main to the area, to accommodate the roadworks upgrade in the area.

Consumers in these areas will experience low water pressure to no water supply during these times.

Hanover Park, Athlone, Rylands, Newfields, Pinati Estate, Belthorn Estate, Penlyn Estate and Belgravia

The Water and Sanitation Directorate’s appointed contractor is conducting low-pressure investigations to improve the pressure in these areas. The project commenced on 9 June 2025 and is expected to run for approximately five months.

On Wednesday, 27 August 2025, the contractor will be tracing the water main from Govan Mbeki Drive in Hanover Park to the bulk reticulation network supplying the area.

This process will involve opening and closing of valves on the water supply network to validate its status and will result in intermittent flow disruptions. In addition, civil works will continue on the pipeline at the corner of Jan Smuts Drive and Klipfontein Road with no disruptions to any communities during the week.

Sun Valley

The water supply to Delft will be shut off temporarily from 10:00 until 17:00 on Wednesday, 27 August 2025.

This will enable the maintenance team to do valve assessments of the local water supply network for the area. Valve assessments form part of the zero-pressure testing (ZPT) process and the installation of flow monitoring and pressure management technology.

These tests are conducted to identify any inflows that must be considered before flow-measuring devices are installed. Residents will experience no water during this period.

Delft

The water supply to Delft will be shut off temporarily from 10:00 until 17:00 on Thursday, 28 August 2025. This will enable the maintenance team to do valve assessments of the local water supply network for the area.

Valve assessments form part of the zero-pressure testing (ZPT) process and the installation of flow monitoring and pressure management technology. These tests are conducted to identify any inflows that must be considered before flow-measuring devices are installed. Residents will experience no water during this period.

This work forms part of the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s proactive infrastructure maintenance and upgrade programme, which ensures the future continuity of water supply by addressing the issue of unaccounted for water.

Zero-pressure tests (ZPT) and conditional assessments will be done on the water supply network, resulting in water supply disruptions in the following areas:

Tuesday, 26 August 2025, from 10:00 until 16:00: Lot 3 Bellville, area bounded by Robert Sobukwe Drive, Kasselsvlei Road, Industry Road, Kosmos Street and possibly immediate surrounds in Bellville South.

Wednesday, 27 August 2025, from 10:00 until 16:00: Belmont Park, Eikendal, Kleinbegin and Summerville.
 
Zero-pressure testing and step-testing are part of the installation process for zone management infrastructure. Tests are done in advance to see if any unmapped inflows need to be considered before installing new infrastructure (such as pressure-reducing valves for pressure management).
 
In these affected areas, some residents may experience low water pressure, while some may have no water during the testing period. Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict which exact areas or streets will experience disruptions.
 
Additional zone management investigations will be carried out to ensure that the existing infrastructure is operating effectively. Pressure fluctuations may be experienced, but every effort will be made to minimise the impact as far as possible.
 
This work forms part of the City’s Water Demand Management Strategy. Managing water pressure more effectively reduces the possibility of pipe bursts and water wastage.

What residents need to know about larger-scale planned water supply disruptions:

1. Careful consideration has been given to the planning of this work to ensure it is being done at a time that is least disruptive to the water supply.
2. All sites where water and sanitation repairs and upgrades are conducted are deemed to be construction sites and, as such, are off-limits to members of the public.
3. Sometimes the maintenance work can be more complex than anticipated, which means the work could take longer.
4. For a short period after the supply has been restored, the water may be discoloured or look milky. This is because of trapped air in the pipes. If left to stand in a glass, the appearance will become clear, like normal.

For updates on the maintenance work (and location of tankers where applicable), follow @CityofCTAlerts, which is a City of Cape Town X account.

How residents are advised to prepare for planned water supply disruptions:

1. Store enough water in clean, sealed containers in advance for use during this period.
2. Keep your taps closed to prevent any water loss and/or damage when the water supply is restored.