Bloemfontein - Water will be available to Kimberley residents until midnight on Wednesday, after which it will be completely cut, the Sol Plaatje municipality said.
Low-lying areas would have water until the early hours of Thursday, spokesman Sello Matsie said.
The shutdown was to enable the municipality to replace a valve in a pipeline at Kimberley’s main Newton water plant.
Matsie advised Kimberley residents to collect enough water for two days to do their cooking, bathing, and keep their toilets working.
The project was part of a campaign to stop water losses in the city. It was estimated that the city lost 40 percent of its water from the Vaal River at the Riverton water plant because of leakages and illegal connections.
“We want to place it on record that this replacement project was scheduled for a day only and that was for tomorrow - Thursday - only,” Matsie said.
The call to collect enough water to last until Friday was just a precaution. The public would be given updates as the process unfolded.
The municipality apologised for the inconvenience. - Sapa