Drought: City of Cape Town won’t switch off water

Claims circulated earlier this week purported that the City of Cape Town would be switching off water on 29 and 30 March for four hour intervals in order to conserve water. According to the message in circulation, this was the implementation of level 4 water restrictions.

However, Councillor Xanthea Limberg, mayoral committee member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services has confirmed that this is not an authentic City of Cape Town communication and is in fact a hoax.

In response to Justmoney’s query regarding the claims, Limberg states: “The instigators of this hoax, in one version, made reference to 29 and 30 February 2017. These days, of course, do not exist.”

Limberg added: “It must be noted that we regard such hoax statements on social media in the same manner that we view prank phone calls to our emergency numbers. If the source is found, we will see if there is any action that we are mandated to take. Such posts lead to a complete waste of the City’s resources.

“Just as we are all aware of the ‘fake-news’ phenomena, we must ensure that we only pay heed to information published on the City’s formal social media and other channels and through the City’s other sources of official communication. If in doubt, please approach the City immediately for clarity if required.

“Customers should note that water pressure may be reduced to limit water leaks and that slight changes in water taste and clarity may occur due to low dam levels. For further information, residents can visit our water restrictions page on the website: www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater. Customers can also contact the City via email to water.restrictions@capetown.gov.za for queries or to report contraventions.”