Water being restored in Khayelitsha following complex valve repair

09 July 2025

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate prioritised emergency work to replace a faulty 450mm valve that disrupted water supply to the greater Khayelitsha area. Repair work started on Saturday, 5 July 2025, and was completed on Tuesday, 8 July 2025. Final adjustments are under way to restore water to the area.

The City if aware that large parts of Khayelitsha remains without water after the completion of the repair. The operational teams will prioritise valve inspections this morning and also ensure additional tankers are available to assist the community through this inconvenience.

The operational team overcame several challenges and delays, while working to restore water supply to Harare, Kuyasa, Monwabisi Park, New Monwabisi and parts of Ilitha Park in Khayelitsha.

On Saturday, multiple valves failed, which meant they became stuck in a closed position. This prevented the pipeline from draining properly causing a delay in being able to access the repair site safely. When water supply was temporarily restored on Sunday, another two broken valves were discovered, further impacting the process as additional repairs were now required.

On Tuesday, in order for the team to conduct the new repairs, they had to grind into a pipe to correctly fit the new valve and successfully complete the repair.

To support residents during the outage, water tankers were deployed in consultation with local ward councillors from Sunday. Additional tankers were requested on Tuesday to extend supply coverage however, some delays were experienced in getting the tankers to the affected areas as these additional tankers would have to come from other regions after having serviced the informal settlements where they are allocated.

The City sincerely regrets the disruption and remains committed to improving co-ordination across teams to ensure availability of water services, especially during extended repair periods.

‘The repair has now been completed and the water supply is being gradually restored to the greater Khayelitsha area. However, we are aware that some areas are still reporting no water. Operational teams are actively checking and opening valves to ensure the network is fully recharged. Water tankers are being sourced and their locations will be communicated as soon as they have been confirmed.

‘This has been an extremely difficult and frustrating time for many residents, and we truly appreciate their patience and understanding. I also want to commend the team for their perseverance in navigating through challenging conditions, resolving the issue as quickly and safely as possible,’ said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office