Cape Town - The City of Cape Town's water and sanitation department on Tuesday said it was attending to a leak on its bulk water main in Philippi.

Department spokesperson Farouk Robertson said the leak had led to outages in the Southern Suburbs.

"This has required the shutting of the 1.2m diameter water main which feeds the reticulation network for a large area stretching from Philippi, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Ottery, Retreat and Pelican Park up to Wynberg, Plumstead and Southfield," said Robertson.

In the interim, he said, the water supply was being rerouted via the Wynberg bulk water mains as far as possible, but some areas were still without water.

"Our repair teams have worked throughout the night and, earlier this morning, managed to remove the leaking valve for maintenance."

He said a new valve would be inserted on Tuesday morning and the bulk water main would be recharged.

Residents urged to keep taps closed

"This is a slow process due to the immense water pressure in the pipeline. Once filled, the valves to the remainder of the reticulation network will be opened and the water supply to the affected areas will be normalised."

Robertson pleaded with residents to ensure that their taps remained closed during this period to avoid water waste and damage when the water supply is restored.

Residents have been asked to open their taps slowly when they need to use water, he said. 

"The City apologises for the inconvenience and thanks our residents for their patience during this period. It is imperative that we ensure our water infrastructure is maintained to supply good quality drinking water to citizens at all times," said Robertson.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter