Planned water supply maintenance from 31 August to 4 September

28 August 2026

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will conduct planned work in the identified areas, which may result in water supply disruptions. This critical maintenance work is being done on our water supply infrastructure to benefit customers. 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 that all residents will experience a water disruption, but it aims to ensure they can prepare if one does occur.

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

Pine Haven, Red Hill, Welcome Glen and Da Gama Park

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be making adjustments to the water supply to these areas on Monday, 31 August 2026. This will result in lower-than-usual water pressure in the area. Residents are kindly requested to reduce their consumption.

Part of Steenberg Golf Estate

The City will shut off the water supply temporarily to the erven within Steenberg Golf Estate located along Charnwood Avenue, the Hotel and possibly adjacent erven, on Monday, 31 August 2026, from 08:00 until 17:00. This will allow for the completion of the internal reticulation network inside the Steenberg Golf Estate. Consumers are encouraged to store water in advance in clean, sealed containers for domestic use.

Welgedacht, Selborne Slot, Oude Westhof, Kanonberg, Kanonberg Lifestyle Estate, Van Riebeeckshof (Welgemoed)

The water supply to these areas will be temporarily shut off on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, from 10:00 until 15:00 as a test shut-off to determine the location of the valves and the impacted area in preparation for the actual shut-off on Thursday, 3 September 2026, from 09:00 until 17:00. This will enable the maintenance team to install a pressure-reducing valve (PRV) on the water supply main to the area. Consumers in these areas will experience no water during this period and are kindly requested to store water in advance in clean, sealed containers for domestic use during these periods.

Leak detection

Rondebosch and Morgenster Heights (Brackenfell)

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be conducting visual leak detection in Melkbosstrand, Thornton and Welgemoed Lower from Monday, 31 August 2026, until Friday, 4 September 2026, from 09:30 until 15:00. Leak detection is one of the water demand management interventions for saving water and reducing water loss through leaks.

A leak detection team will be walking in the streets to identify potential leaks and check all pipe contact points such as valves, water meters and fire hydrants.
All leaks will be reported to the relevant depot for repairs.
Residents are advised that there will be no disruption to water during this exercise.
Residents are advised to store water in advance as a precautionary measure in clean, sealed containers for domestic use during this period.

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, 1 September 2026, 09:00 to 17:00: Ndabeni, Oude Molen and the adjacent parts of Maitland.

Residents are advised to store water in advance as a precautionary measure in clean, sealed containers for domestic use during this period.

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.

Residents are advised to store water in advance as a precautionary measure in clean, sealed containers for domestic use during this period.

The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience.

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

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.
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.
Sometimes the maintenance work can be more complex than anticipated, which means the work could take longer.
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:

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

End

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