Planned water supply maintenance for 23 to 28 May 2026

23 May 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 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:

Newlands Reservoir Shutdown

The City started diverting the water supply from the large Newlands Reservoirs to its other reservoirs serving the same supply areas from 08:00 on Saturday, 23 May 2026. This will enable the reservoir level to drop in preparation for its annual cleaning, which will start on Monday, 25 May 2026. No water supply disruptions are expected during the cleaning of the reservoir.

Parts of Bellville South

The City will shut off the water supply temporarily to Durham Street, Octovale Street, Lily Street, Mimosa Street, Kosmos Street, Jool Street, Inspan Street, Industry Road, Suker Street and possibly surrounding streets in Bellville South from 09:00 until 20:00 on Tuesday, 26 May 2026. This will enable the maintenance team to safely do connections to the water supply main to the area on the corner of Octovale and Kosmos Streets and on the corner of Durham and Kosmos Streets in Bellville South. Residents in these streets will experience no water during this period.

Parts of Rylands

The City will shut off the water supply temporarily in Duine Road, Tussen Road, Mabel Road, Middel Road, Plettenberg Road, Flat Road, Doring Road, College Road and possibly surrounding roads in Rylands on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, from 09:00 until 18:00. This will enable the maintenance team to safely replace a T-piece and install an isolation valve at the intersection of Duine Road and Tussen Road to connect new water main. Residents on these roads will experience no water during this period.

Oranjezicht

The City is currently undertaking two water pipeline replacement projects in Upper Orange Street, Belmont Avenue, and Montrose Avenue in Oranjezicht:

As part of the first project in Upper Orange Street, Belmont Avenue and Montrose Avenue, the water supply to Montrose Avenue (between Forest Road and Upper Orange Street) and possibly surrounding streets will be temporarily shut off from 08:00 until 22:00 on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. This will enable the maintenance team to safely switch over the water supply from the bypass to the newly installed water main.

As part of the second project in Upper Orange Street, Belmont Avenue and Montrose Avenue, the water supply will be temporarily shut off to Forest Road (between Belmont Avenue and Belvedere Avenue), Alexandra Avenue, Molteno Road, Rosemount Avenue, Belvedere Avenue, Belmont Avenue (between Upper Orange Street and Rosemount Avenue), Sir George Grey Street, Wynyard Street, Sophia Street, Gladstone Street, Breda Street, Prince Street, Labounere Street, Jagersfontein Avenue and Lane, Schoonder Street, Vredehoek Avenue and possibly surrounding streets in Oranjezicht from 08:00 until 20:00 on Thursday, 28 May 2026.

This will enable the maintenance team to safely replace control valves on the water supply network in the area. Residents in these streets will experience no water during this period.

Parts of Kommetjie

The water supply will be temporarily shut off to the area bounded by Beach Road, Van Imhoff Way, Dreyer Road, Huskisson Way and surrounds in Kommetjie from 09:00 until 19:30 on Thursday, 28 May 2026. This will enable the safe completion of connections to the existing water supply infrastructure at the intersections of Beach Road and Somerset Way, Beach Road and Van Imhoff Way, Dreyer Road and Lighthouse Road and Dreyer Road and Huskisson Way. Residents in Beach Road, Dreyer Road, Crassula Road, Huskisson Way and possibly surrounding streets in Kommetjie will experience no water during this period.

Parts of Helderzicht in Somerset West and Paardevlei in Strand

The City will be shutting off water supply temporarily to parts of Helderzicht in Somerset West and Paardevlei in Strand on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, from 09:00 until 18:00 to install a water meter on the water supply main to these areas. Residents in these areas will experience no water during this period.

Parts of Bergvliet

The City will be shutting off the water supply temporarily to a part of Bergvliet, on Thursday, 28 May 2026, from 09:00 until 19:30 which will result in a water supply disruption. This will allow for the safe decommissioning of old infrastructure in Gumtree Road, Syringa Road and Childrens Way from the water reticulation system. Residents in these roads and possibly surrounding roads in Bergvliet will experience no water during this period.

Claremont, Wynberg and Kenilworth

The City will be shutting off the water supply temporarily to parts of Claremont, Wynberg and Kenilworth below the railway line on Thursday, 28 May 2026, from 09:00 until 20:00 to enable the maintenance team to construct a pressure management chamber for the Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) for this water supply zone. Opening the bypass will result in these areas experiencing lower than usual water pressure during this period.

Parts of Steenberg

The City will be shutting off the water supply temporarily to the area bounded by Military Road, Wagner Road, Ravel Street, Wentzel Road, Flora Road and possibly surrounding streets in Steenberg from 09:00 until 19:30 on Thursday, 28 May 2026. This will enable the safe completion of connections to the existing water supply infrastructure at the intersections of Ravel Street and Military Road, Ravel Street and Wagner Road and La Brenton Avenue and Military Road. Residents in this area will experience no water 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, 26 May 2026, from 10:00 to 19:00: Devil’s Peak Estate, Oranjezicht and Vredehoek
Wednesday, 27 May 2026, from 10:00 to 19:00: Devil’s Peak Estate, Oranjezicht and Vredehoek
Wednesday, 27 May 2026, from 09:00 to 16:00: High-level area: Ilitha Park, Harare, Monwabisi Park/Ndlovini, Kuyasa, Nkanini-Zwezwe – Khayelitsha
Wednesday, 27 May 2026, from 09:00 to 16:00: Oude Westhof, Kanonberg. Kanonberg Lifestyle Estate and Van Riebeeckshof

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.

Smart meter pre-installation survey (informative)

The City of Cape Town has appointed PPD Engineering and Hardware Supplies to carry out site surveys ahead of installing smart water meters. Teams will be visiting selected properties in Wallacedene, Rivergate, Glencairn, Sandown, Kleinbegin, Delft, Cape Farms (District B) and Greenville Garden City from Wednesday, 27 May 2026, to Thursday, 4 June 2026, as part of this process.

This forms part of the City’s programme to modernise water metering and improve how water is managed across Cape Town. Residents are encouraged to cooperate with the survey team where possible. Your participation will help ensure a smooth rollout of smart water meters in your area.

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

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office