54-hour water outage to hit these parts of Cape Town this weekend

Residents of Cape Town across multiple areas will face significant water supply outages this weekend as the city implements critical infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. The most extensive outage is expected to affect Paarden Eiland for nearly three days.

The Water and Sanitation Directorate will shut off the water supply to Paarden Eiland from 6pm on Friday, 13 June 2025, until midnight on Sunday, 15 June 2025, requiring residents to prepare for an extended period without regular water access.

“This will enable the maintenance team to safely replace a 915mm diameter bulk water meter at the Paaarden Eiland Transfer Pump Station,” the city explained.

The city warned that during the Paarden Eiland outage, some areas would experience water at low pressure, while other parts would have no water supply at all.

Oranjezicht Reservoir maintenance

A separate major disruption will begin next week when the Water and Sanitation Directorate commences annual cleaning of the Oranjezicht Reservoir from Monday, 16 June 2025, until Monday, 11 July 2025.

Water supply will be rerouted from the Tygerberg Reservoir to serve Oranjezicht Reservoir supply areas during the nearly month-long maintenance period.

The city stated, “This work forms part of the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s proactive infrastructure maintenance and upgrade programme, which ensures future continuity of water supply by addressing unaccounted water issues”.

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Atlantis water outage

Three communities in Atlantis experienced water disruptions on Thursday,

These are the affected areas:

• Avondale,
• Saxonsea and
• Robinvale

The above area’s water supply was shut off from 8am on Thursday and will only be restored at 5pm.

According to the city, the Water and Sanitation Directorate implemented the temporary shutdown to allow maintenance teams to continue construction work on water supply mains as part of pipe replacement and upgrade projects in these areas.

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City response to water outages

The city acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the multiple disruptions.

“The city sincerely regrets any inconvenience,” officials stated regarding the weekend outages.

For the Atlantis disruptions, authorities assured residents that work would be completed efficiently.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and assure residents that the work will be done diligently to restore the water supply as quickly as possible,” the city said.

Water outage preparation and safety measures

City officials have provided comprehensive guidance for residents preparing for planned water supply disruptions.

The city advises residents to store sufficient water in clean, sealed containers in advance for domestic use during power outages.

Water tankers will be deployed to provide water for domestic use where required, with local Ward Councillors directing tanker placement to various locations.

Residents are urged to keep taps closed during outages to prevent water loss and potential damage when the supply is restored.

The city emphasised that all repair and upgrade sites are considered construction zones and remain off-limits to the public for safety reasons.

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Technical considerations

Officials warn that maintenance work can sometimes prove more complex than initially anticipated, potentially extending repair timeframes beyond scheduled completion.

After supply restoration, water may appear discoloured or milky for a brief period due to trapped air in the pipes, though the appearance will clear when left to stand in a glass.

The city has advised residents to follow @CityofCTAlerts on X for updates on maintenance work progress and tanker locations where applicable.

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