City moving ahead with planned infrastructure upgrades following festive season outages

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08-01-2026
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The Witness
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The municipality said it continued to render essential services during the festive period and rejected suggestions that it had been slow to respond

A programme to improve pressure management, replace ageing bulk pipelines and upgrade key components of Pietermaritzburg’s water network is under way, with the municipality confirming that funding processes are in progress to replace pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) and implement rezoning measures during the current year.

These measures, the City says, come in the wake of service interruptions experienced over the festive season, when parts of Pietermaritzburg reported intermittent water and electricity outages, and delays in refuse collection.

City councillors told The Witness that some areas experienced refuse collection delays of up to two weeks, while sporadic water supply disruptions were reported in Belfort, Mount View and Scottsville, and residents in Hayfields said they were without lights on New Year’s Eve.

Acting City spokesperson Anele Makhanya said the municipality is managing pressure-related issues while simultaneously strengthening its response capacity through both network upgrades and operational support.

“Funding processes are currently underway to replace pressure-reducing valves (PRVs), enhance pressure management and implement rezoning measures within the current year,” she said.

She added that some areas are served by ageing infrastructure and that “a phased programme to replace bulk water pipelines has commenced”.

In addition, the City has submitted a mid-year capital budget request to procure additional vehicles, small plant and equipment, which will further strengthen response capacity.

Makhanya said the municipality continued to render essential services during the festive period and rejected suggestions that the City had been slow to respond.

“With regard to water supply interruptions in ward 28 [Belfort, Mount View], Scottsville and Hayfields, these were primarily caused by isolated pipe bursts.

“Once reported, such incidents are generally attended to within four to eight hours, with water restored shortly thereafter,” she said.

She urged residents to report any interruptions via the call centre or their ward councillor to ensure a faster response.

On refuse collection delays, Makhanya said backlogs arising from earlier delays were being cleared and that the municipality is verifying fleet information, including vehicle availability and maintenance scheduling, to reduce future delays.