Cape Town water outages today (21 October 2026): affected areas, causes and when water returns

There is no single citywide water outage in Cape Town on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. Instead, several separate disruptions are affecting different parts of the city. The biggest is in the high-lying areas of Khayelitsha, where the City is still replacing a faulty 450mm valve on the water main that supplies them. Planned maintenance has also cut or reduced water in parts of Woodstock, Tamboerskloof and Gardens, and unplanned outages have been reported in parts of Clifton, Hout Bay and Ruwari (City of Cape Town alerts on X; City media release).

This is a developing story. Last updated: 21 October 2026, 15:49 SAST.

Which areas are affected?

Each area below is listed only as the City named it, with a link to the City notice.

Unplanned or emergency disruptions

• Khayelitsha (high-lying areas): Ilitha Park, Harare, Monwabisi Park / Ndlovini, Kuyasa and Nkanini-Zwezwe. The City's 12:30 update says most affected areas have water, but at lower pressure than usual (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Clifton: the area between Lower Kloof Road and Roundhouse, and possibly nearby roads. The City's 14:00 update says intermittent low pressure and outages came back overnight on part of Clifton Road (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Kingfisher Walk, Hout Bay, and possibly surrounds. The City posted that it is attending to this outage (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Zeeland Street, Ruwari, and possibly surrounds. This outage was reported at about 08:20. We could not find a City notice saying it has been fixed (City alert, 21 Oct).

Planned maintenance today

• Tygerberg Reservoir supply area: Avondale, Plattekloof 1, De Tijger and Loevenstein (near the Protea Hotel area), which the City says may be affected from 06:00 on 21 October to 14:00 on Friday, 23 October (City media release).
• Parts of Woodstock: Ravenscraig Road, Woodlands Road, Pine Road, Queens Road, Warwick Street, Salmon Street, Victoria Road and possibly surrounding streets, from 09:30 to 18:00 (City media release).
• Tamboerskloof and Gardens: zero-pressure tests from 10:00 to 17:00. They happen again on Thursday, 22 October, from 10:00 to 17:00 (City media release).
• Parow Valley: planned water maintenance from 10:00 (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Lukhanyo Street, Mfuleni: planned water maintenance from 10:00 (City alert, 21 Oct).

Restored earlier today, according to the City: Franshoek Weg, Durbanville (City); Midmar Road, Joubertpark (City); and Willow Way, Hout Bay (City).

Why is the water off?

• Khayelitsha: The City planned to shut off water to the high-lying areas from 10:00 on Tuesday, 20 October, to make emergency repairs to a 450mm-diameter valve (City alert, 19 Oct). By Tuesday night the replacement had stalled. The City said the pipe section (a "spool-piece") that joins the new valve to the pipeline could not be resized to fit, so another one had to be found (City alert, 20 Oct). On Wednesday the City said the replacement part had been found and welders were on site preparing it (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Clifton: The City said it restored water on Tuesday evening, 20 October, but the trouble came back overnight. On Wednesday crews checked the control valves and let trapped air out of the local network while they looked for the cause (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Tygerberg Reservoir: The bulk water meter on the reservoir's 1500mm outlet is being replaced. The City says the reservoir stays in use through its second outlet and water is being rerouted (City media release).
• Woodstock: Pipes and valves are being replaced using trenchless technology (City media release).
• Tamboerskloof and Gardens: Zero-pressure tests are being done before new pressure-management equipment goes in. The City says it cannot predict exactly which streets will lose water (City media release).

When will water be back?

• Khayelitsha: The City has not given a restore time. Its notices say the work will continue until it is complete (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Clifton: The City says pressure is building up and water is slowly coming back, but pressure may stay lower than normal until the system settles (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Woodstock: expected at 18:00 on 21 October (City media release).
• Tamboerskloof and Gardens: 17:00 on 21 October, with more testing from 10:00 to 17:00 on 22 October (City media release).
• Tygerberg Reservoir work: expected to finish at 14:00 on Friday, 23 October (City media release).
• Hout Bay (Kingfisher Walk), Ruwari, Parow Valley and Mfuleni: No restore time had been published when this article was last updated.

The City warns that planned work can take longer than expected if it turns out to be more complex. Once water is back, it may look milky or discoloured for a while because of air trapped in the pipes. If you leave it to stand in a glass, it should clear (City media release).

Are there water tankers?

• Khayelitsha: Yes. The City says water tankers are still supplying water for household use to residents who have none. It has not published the exact tanker locations (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Clifton: The City says a tanker was placed for a while on the corner of Kloof Road and Lower Kloof Road (City alert, 21 Oct).

The City says it posts tanker locations, where relevant, on its @CityofCTAlerts X account (City media release).

What should residents do?

• Keep your taps closed and check them now and then, so you don't lose water or get damage when supply comes back (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Store water in clean, sealed containers before any planned shutdown (City media release).
• Report it if your water hasn't come back or your area isn't listed. Call 0860 103 089 or email [email protected] (City alert, 21 Oct).
• Check for updates on @CityofCTAlerts and the City's media releases.
• Stay away from work sites. The City treats repair sites as construction sites that are off-limits to the public (City media release).

What's planned next?

The City's weekly notice lists more work for Thursday, 22 October. Zero-pressure tests are planned in Khayelitsha's low-lying areas and in Lynn's View, Heldervue and Bakkerskloof (Somerset West), both from 09:00 to 16:00, and in Tamboerskloof and Gardens from 10:00 to 17:00 (City media release; also reported by Cape Times/IOL).