Tshwane cuts water to 14 reservoirs overnight as Hammanskraal and Bronkhorstspruit stay on unsafe supply

Tshwane households will lose water overnight from 14 reservoirs as the city moves to pull its most depleted systems back from collapse, with unsafe water advisories still standing in Hammanskraal Phase 3 and Bronkhorstspruit.

Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya announced the targeted overnight restrictions after a meeting of a newly established daily evening Water Management Committee, which brings senior officials and technical teams together to assess developments, coordinate interventions and monitor progress across the affected water systems. The city said the restrictions apply to reservoirs that have adequate storage but exceptionally high consumption.

The measures are intended to reduce demand on Rand Water’s upstream system and support the recovery of critically depleted reservoirs. Moya acknowledged the restrictions will cause temporary inconvenience to more residents, and said they are necessary to support recovery across the broader network, particularly for communities that have experienced prolonged interruptions.

She acknowledged the frustration and hardship caused by prolonged water interruptions, particularly for households that had been without water for several days. According to the mayor, the challenges include the ongoing water contamination crisis in Bronkhorstspruit, water quality concerns in Hammanskraal, infrastructure failures and supply restrictions in other parts of Tshwane.

“These challenges have been compounded by a combination of infrastructure failures, reduced bulk water supply and exceptionally high consumption, which has prevented reservoirs from recovering sufficiently,” Moya said.

The city is working with Rand Water to stabilise supply in affected areas, particularly Garsfontein and Klapperkop, where critically low reservoir levels continue to affect communities. Production at the Roodeplaat Water Treatment Plant has resumed following repairs to electrical infrastructure, which the city expects to help restore supply to communities served by the Montana system and ease pressure on other parts of the network.

Moya also addressed a video circulating on social media showing a major water leak in Garsfontein, saying it is outdated because the pipe failure was repaired the previous week. “There is currently no major leak at Garsfontein. The current supply challenges are primarily the result of critically depleted reservoir levels, reduced supply from Rand Water and high water consumption, rather than an ongoing major leak.”

In Ekangala, where concerns were raised about the reliability and fairness of water tanker distribution, the city is reorganising its arrangements. Nine tankers are scheduled to serve Ekangala from Tuesday, and a centralised coordination point is being established to improve route management and ensure affected communities receive more consistent access to water.

The city has completed cleaning emergency water storage tanks at clinics. Those tanks are awaiting water quality testing before being brought into use, and cleaning of additional community storage facilities is scheduled to begin in Ekangala. Oversight of alternative water provision has been strengthened, and independent private water tanker operators wishing to assist affected communities must obtain verification and authorisation from the city before distributing water, including water quality testing by Environmental Health Practitioners, with the Tshwane Metro Police Department conducting compliance checks.

In Bronkhorstspruit, Rand Water continues to lead the rehabilitation programme at the water treatment works while the city maintains alternative water provision and public health monitoring. In Hammanskraal, the city has started introducing water from the Klipdrift package plant into the affected Phase 3 network, but microbiological non-compliance remains a concern, with network flushing and water quality monitoring continuing.

“The existing unsafe water advisories in Hammanskraal Phase 3 and Bronkhorstspruit remain in place. Residents in these areas must continue using authorised alternative water supplies until the water has been confirmed safe,” Moya said.

In the Pretoria CBD, the city says it has resolved the contamination incident affecting Findlay Reservoir after isolating the affected groundwater source, introducing alternative supply, cleaning the reservoir and further testing. The water was confirmed safe for consumption and the boil water advisory was lifted on 24 October. Moya said further work continues to address the underlying infrastructure failure affecting the Fountains groundwater source.

This report is drawn from the City of Tshwane statement as carried by SAnews (South African Government News Agency): https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/tshwane-intensifies-water-interventions-amid-supply-quality-challenges