Urgent appeal to consumers in various areas around Cape Town to reduce their water consumption

28 May 2025

Ongoing technical issues at the Molteno Reservoir Pump Station have left several areas across Cape Town from University Estate to the Atlantic Sea Board experiencing low water pressure or no water at all.

On Monday afternoon, 26 May 2025, the Molteno Reservoir Pump Station had to be taken offline due to an unexpected mechanical failure of both transfer pumps and a faulty transformer. Following detailed assessments by the City’s mechanical and electrical maintenance teams, it was determined that some components needed replacement. While certain parts were available, others are being sourced through the City’s emergency procurement process. 

Repairs are expected to be completed and the pump station will be brought back online by late tomorrow afternoon (29 May).

To support the system, the Kloofnek Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was activated and is currently supplying 14 million litres per day. However, this falls short of the current demand of approximately 18 million litres per day. As a result, the Kloofnek, Molteno Reservoir, and Eastern High-Level Reservoirs have dropped to critically low levels and are now essentially empty. The WTP is feeding water directly into the network without any reserve storage, which makes the situation extremely precarious.

Areas affected:
Gardens, Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof, Schotsche Kloof/Bo-Kaap, Higgovale, Upper City Bowl, Bantry Bay, Fresnaye, Green Point, parts of Sea Point, Walmer Estate, University Estate, Upper Woodstock, District Six, Vredehoek, Camps Bay, and Oudekraal.

The City’s operational teams are working tirelessly to:
• Complete emergency repairs at the Molteno Pump Station.
• Reroute water where possible to reduce the impact.
• Finalise a water tanker schedule for the most affected areas, in coordination with local Ward Councillors. Details will be communicated shortly.

‘Despite our best efforts, the reservoirs have not recovered. They are critically low, and without adequate reserve storage, the system is under severe pressure. We appeal to all affected residents and businesses to urgently reduce consumption to help preserve what supply we can still provide,’ Mayoral Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

We urgently request all consumers in the affected areas to reduce their water use immediately. If demand continues at current levels, the system will not be able to sustain supply, and many areas will experience outages.

 
End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office