The City of Cape Town has announced widespread water supply disruptions across the metro, as large-scale maintenance and infrastructure upgrades get underway.
Residents in affected areas are being urged to store water in advance and prepare for possible outages, with some disruptions expected to last several hours or even days.
Major plant shutdowns to impact water supply
At the centre of the planned work is the shutdown of the Faure Water Treatment Plant pipeline, which has been taken offline for repairs to a newly installed valve.
The pipeline will remain empty from 29 April and is only expected to be brought back online late on 5 May.
In addition, the Blackheath Water Treatment Plant will be shut down from 6 May to 10 May, significantly reducing the city’s overall water production capacity.
Officials have warned that this could place strain on the bulk water system, and residents across Cape Town are being asked to limit water use to essential needs during this period.
Suburbs facing outages
A long list of suburbs will experience temporary shutdowns or reduced pressure due to maintenance work, including:
- Rondebosch and Mowbray (3 May)
- Oranjezicht (5 and 7 May)
- Bergvliet (5 May)
- Constantia (5 May)
- Goodwood and surrounding areas (5 May)
- Delft (5 and 7 May)
- Hout Bay (5 and 6 May)
- Ocean View and Lakeside (5 May, intermittent)
- Glencairn (6 May)
- Lotus River (6 May)
- Elsies River (6 May)
- Hanover Park and surrounding areas (6 May)
- Philippi (7 May)
Some areas will have no water during scheduled shutdowns, while others may experience low pressure or intermittent supply.
The City said the maintenance includes pipe replacements, valve installations, and connections to new infrastructure.
These upgrades form part of efforts to improve long-term reliability, reduce leaks and strengthen the overall water network.
Residents are advised to store enough water in clean, sealed containers ahead of the disruptions.
However, officials cautioned that not all areas will necessarily experience outages, as the impact may vary depending on location and system conditions.
“Every effort will be made to minimise the impact,” officials said, “but residents are encouraged to use water sparingly while the maintenance is underway.”
Separately, leak detection teams will be active in parts of Delft and Noordhoek during the week.
This work will not interrupt water supply but forms part of ongoing efforts to reduce water loss and improve system efficiency.
