The Tshwane metro expects water supply to areas affected by restrictions on the Garsfontein and Klapperkop systems to be restored later this week, subject to sufficient reservoir recovery.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the system used to monitor reservoir levels remotely was offline, preventing the city from confirming overnight levels.

“Teams were dispatched on Tuesday morning to inspect the reservoirs and measure water levels manually to determine whether overnight interventions had improved the situation, with a verified update to follow once checks are complete,” said Mashigo.

Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya said the metro was working with Rand Water to stabilise supply, with infrastructure failures, reduced bulk water supply and exceptionally high consumption contributing to the crisis.

“Following repairs to the electrical infrastructure at Roodeplaat Water Treatment Plant, production has resumed,” Moya said.

She said the restored production is expected to improve supply to communities served by the Montana system and reduce pressure on other parts of the network.

“The city is implementing targeted overnight restrictions at 14 reservoirs where storage levels are adequate but consumption remains exceptionally high to reduce demand on Rand Water’s upstream system and help critically depleted reservoirs recover,” said Moya.

Moya acknowledged the hardship experienced by affected households and said her office would provide consolidated updates, while the city’s Communication, Marketing and Events Department would continue sharing operational information about outages, restrictions and restoration efforts.

She also clarified that footage circulating on social media showing a major leak at Garsfontein was outdated.

“The pipe failure had been repaired the previous week, and there was no ongoing major leak at the reservoir,” said Moya.

Pumps switched on

Meanwhile, Ward Councillor Lida Erasmus confirmed on Tuesday that pumps supplying the Elardus Park reservoir had been turned on after Garsfontein’s water levels improved.

She cautioned that Elardus Park’s reservoir needed time to fill sufficiently before its booster pumps could operate.

Erasmus urged residents not to water gardens, wash cars or fill swimming pools while the system stabilised.

Residents in Elardus Park, Rietvalleirand, Rietvallei Park and Wingate Park are also sharing borehole and tanker water with affected households.

A notice circulated by Lyttelton Sector 4 CPF and Welriet NPC listed collection points. These include 37 Boneschans Street in Elardus Park, 827 Petrus Street in Rietvalleirand and 99 Escombe Avenue in Rietvallei Park, while residents are advised to boil water collected at these locations to ensure it is safe to drink.

Mashigo urged residents who still had water to reserve it for essential needs to help reservoirs recover and improve supply to households still without water.

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