Water off in much of Cape Town until Friday

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be doing planned work in the identified areas, which will result in a water supply disruption. This critical maintenance work is done on our water supply infrastructure to benefit customers. 

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 a water disruption, 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:

Langa, Epping 1, Vanguard Estate, Heideveld, Athlone, Hazendal, Sybrand Park, and the area bounded by the N2, Jakes Gerwel Drive, Turfhall Road and the M5

The water supply to these areas will be shut off temporarily from 10:00 until 24:00 on Sunday, 10 August 2025. This will enable the maintenance team to safely do emergency repairs to the severely leaking 535mm diameter pipeline in the vicinity of the Vangate Mall.

These consumers will either experience lower-than-usual water pressure or no water during this period.

Consumers are kindly requested to store enough water in advance in clean, sealed containers for domestic use during this period. Water tankers will be made available in consultation with the local Ward Councillors. 

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 Monday, 11 August 2025, the strainer of the Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) on the water main supplying Hanover Park, Newfield, and Pinati Estate will be cleaned.

The bypass valve will be opened during this process, resulting in a slight pressure fluctuation during this period.

In addition, civil works will be done on the pipeline at the corner of Jan Smuts Drive and Klipfontein Road with no disruptions to any communities during the week.

Saxonsea and Avondale - Atlantis

The water supply to these areas will be shut off temporarily from 08:00 until 17:00 on Tuesday, 12 August 2025.

This will enable the maintenance team to safely do emergency repairs to the severely leaking 250mm diameter pipeline supplying these areas.

The affected areas can unfortunately not be minimised due to the location of the leak on the water supply network.

Water tankers will be made available to provide water for domestic use.

Part of Gordon's Bay

The water supply to Miller Street, Gordonia Street, Faure Street, Bikini Beach, part of Beach Road and possibly immediate surrounds will be shut off temporarily from 09:00 until 17:00 on Tuesday,12 August 2025.

This will enable the maintenance team to safely replace a faulty Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) on the water supply main in Miller Street.

These residents will experience no water during this period. A water tanker will be placed at the Old Harbour to provide water for domestic use.

Part of the CBD – Cape Town

Maintenance teams will be doing a temporary test shut-off of the water main in the Cape Town CBD from 09:00 to 16:00 on Tuesday, 12 August 2025.

The affected street is Buiten Street, between Loop Street and Long Street. This test is in preparation for the actual water shut-off scheduled from 09:00 to 18:00 on Thursday, 14 August 2025, to allow for a new connection to be made in Buiten Street.

Consumers along the affected street will experience no water supply during these times.

Part of Hanover Park and Philippi

Maintenance teams will be doing a temporary test shut-off of the water main in Springfield Road, Philippi, from 09:00 to 13:00 on Thursday, 14 August 2025.

The affected streets are Deutz Street, Becker Street and Govan Mbeki Drive between Heinz Road and Jan Smuts Drive, including Springfield Road and Mahillion 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, 19 August 2025, to allow for diversion of the water supply main to the area to accommodate the roadworks upgrade in the area.

Consumers along the affected streets will experience no water supply during these times. Additional information regarding the full shut-off on 19 August will be provided in next week’s communique.

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, 12 August 2025, from 10:00 until 16:00: Dunoon and Surrounding Industrial area, including Racing Park and The Stables.
• Wednesday, 13 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.

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 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.
 
The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience.

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.