Residents in Middelburg will have to wait a little longer to refill their buckets, as the planned water shutdown linked to upgrades at the Vaalbank Water Treatment Works has been postponed.

The Steve Tshwete Local Municipality issued a notice earlier this evening confirming that the interruption originally scheduled from Wednesday, 11 March at 11:00 until Thursday, 12 March at 17:00 has been postponed to Wednesday, 18 March.

According to the municipality, the shutdown was delayed because reservoir levels did not recover to full capacity in time.

The interruption forms part of ongoing work to upgrade the Vaalbank purification plant, which supplies water to large parts of Middelburg.

Residents should note that taps will not necessarily run dry for the full 30-hour period. During the upgrade process, water will be pumped into reservoirs ahead of the shutdown, which should provide supply for up to 24 hours before levels begin to drop.

Residents are still encouraged to store water ahead of the revised interruption date and to use water sparingly – not only during maintenance periods, but at all times.