Planned water supply maintenance for 17 to 19 February 2026

13 February 2026

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will be doing planned work in the identified areas, which will result in water supply disruptions. This critical maintenance work is 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 all residents will have a water disruption, but it aims to ensure they can prepare if it does occur.
 
Planned maintenance work will result in a water supply disruption to these areas:
  
Part of Somerset West

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will temporarily shut off the water supply to Hendriks Road, Vergelegen, Residentia, Picardy, Louw and Verster Avenues, and possibly surrounding streets in Somerset West from 09:00 until 18:00 on Tuesday, 17 February 2026. This will allow the maintenance team to safely conduct a test shut-off to assess the possible impact in preparation for the pipe replacement project to be undertaken in the area. Some streets will either experience low pressure, pressure fluctuations, or no water during this period.

Part of Hanover Park and Phillipi farms along Govan Mbeki Drive

The water supply will be temporarily shut off to part of Hanover Park and the Phillipi farms along Govan Mbeki Drive from 09:00 on Tuesday, 17 January 2026 until 18:00 on Wednesday, 18 January 2026. This will enable the maintenance team to safely connect the newly installed 450mm diameter pipeline to the existing water supply infrastructure. Alternate water supply will be rerouted to these areas but may be at lower than usual pressure. 

Part of Rondebosch

The water supply will be temporarily shut off to Milner Road, Columbine Road, Oban Road, Rusacre Road, and Gambonia Road, situated between Avenue de Mist and Kromboom Road, as well as possibly the immediate surrounding areas in Rondebosch from 09:00 until 18:00 on Tuesday, 17 February 2026. This will enable the maintenance team to safely replace T-pieces on the local water supply network at the corners of Milner and Columbine Road and Milner and Oban Road.

The water supply to these roads will again be shut off from 09:00 until 18:00 on Thursday, 19 February 2026 to enable the maintenance team to safely replace T-pieces on the local water supply network at the corners of Milner and Rusacre Roads and Milner and Gambonia Roads. Residents in these roads will experience no water during these periods.

Lower part of Fish Hoek

The water supply will be temporarily shut off to the area bounded by Harrington Street, Kommetjie Main Road, Quarry Road and Carmichael Road in Fish Hoek from 09:00 until 19:30 on Thursday, 19 February 2026. This will enable the safe completion of connections to the existing water supply infrastructure at the intersection of Seaview Road and Ranger Road, Quarry Road and Ranger Road, Hillcrest Crescent and Ranger Road, Harry De Stadler Close and Ranger Road, Harrington Street and Ranger Road and Ranger Road and Kommetjie Main Road. These roads and possibly surrounding roads will experience no water during this period. 
 
A large part of Avondale - Atlantis

The water supply will be temporarily shut off to a large part of Avondale, Atlantis from 10:00 until 16:00 on Thursday, 19 February 2026. This will allow the maintenance team to safely conduct a test shut-off to assess the possible impact in preparation for the pipe replacement project to be undertaken in the area. This area will experience no water during this period. Residents 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 to provide water for domestic use where required.
  
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, 17 February 2026, from 09:00 until 16:00: High-lying area of Fish Hoek above Main Road.
• Wednesday, 18 February 2026, from 09:00 until 16:00: Brackenfell, Brackenfell South, Protea Hoogte, Bracken Nature Reserve and Protea Village.
• Wednesday, 18 February 2026, from 10:00 until 16:00: Manenberg South.
• Thursday, 19 February 2026, from 10:00 until 16:00: Ravensmead West

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.
 
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. 

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office