Cape Town residents are being urged to brace for a major disruption as the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate prepares for a full day of planned outages on Tuesday, 9 December.
The shutdown, expected to last up to nine hours in several suburbs, forms part of a large-scale operation to overhaul ageing water infrastructure and install new components critical to long-term stability, as reported by The South African.
City officials say the upcoming work is unavoidable and aimed at strengthening the network for ‘the benefit of customers,’ adding that households in affected areas should make arrangements ahead of time. Residents have been reminded to store water early, with the city stressing that all supply kept for the day must be placed in ‘clean, sealed containers.’
The upgrades will involve replacing and repairing valves and pipelines across multiple zones, with teams stationed throughout the metro to complete the work as quickly as possible.
Vredekloof East is among the hardest hit. Water will be switched off from 9am to 6pm while crews upgrade sections of the main supply feeding Welgeleë Road, Welkom Road, George Road and surrounding areas. A water tanker will be deployed to support residents during the outage.
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A second major shutdown will affect Tulbagh Square in the Cape Town CBD, where engineers will install a new connection on the Hans Strijdom Avenue pipeline. The city has confirmed that the precinct will be without water for the entire duration of the operation.
Further disruptions are scheduled later in the week. In Vredehoek, Upper Maynard Street and neighbouring roads will face a test shut-off on Thursday, 11 December, from 10am until midday as part of preparation work for a larger connection.
Camps Bay residents are also set to experience supply interruptions. Willesden, Finchley and Dunkeld Streets will undergo a test shutdown from 10am to 1pm on Tuesday, followed by a full outage on Thursday from 9am to 6pm.
The City has apologised to affected communities, saying the timing of the work was chosen to limit inconvenience. Officials also cautioned that while every effort will be made to keep to the schedule, the maintenance could run longer if unexpected complications arise once the system is opened.
Residents are encouraged to keep taps closed during the shutdowns and to be aware that water may appear milky once service is restored due to trapped air in the pipes.
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