Residents and businesses in several Pretoria West areas are expected to experience an eight-hour water interruption on Tuesday, 26 May, as the City of Tshwane carries out maintenance work at the Iscor Reservoir.
According to a statement issued by the City on 14 May, technicians from the Water and Sanitation Business Unit will install a 600mm diameter isolation valve at the reservoir’s bypass chamber from 08:00 until 16:00.
The planned interruption will affect residents and institutions in Kwaggasrand, Pretoria Industrial, Proclamation Hill, the SAPS Police Academy and West Park.
The City said the maintenance work forms part of essential infrastructure upgrades aimed at improving water management in the area.
Residents were urged to store water in advance and use water sparingly during and after the shutdown.
However, some residents say repeated water interruptions have become frustrating and disruptive to daily life.
“I understand maintenance is necessary, but eight hours without water is difficult, especially for families with children,” said West Park resident Kimberly Mntungwa.
A small business owner in Pretoria Industrial, Sihle Zitha, said the interruption could affect operations and income.
“We rely on water for cleaning and basic operations. If the work takes longer than expected, businesses will suffer losses,” she said.
Another resident, Sipho Nntuli from Proclamation Hill, expressed concerns about whether the city would complete the work on time.
“We have experienced water interruptions before where the water only came back late at night or even the next day. People are worried this could happen again,” he said.
The city also encouraged residents to adopt water-saving measures such as avoiding the use of hosepipes, not filling swimming pools, fixing leaks and reusing grey water where possible.
Residents were advised to report water-related emergencies, including burst pipes and water leaks, to the City’s emergency lines.
Attempts were made to obtain additional comment from City of Tshwane spokesperson regarding contingency plans for affected communities and measures to prevent prolonged outages, but no response had been received.
