GEORGE NEWS - The water crisis in Wilderness, which had left large parts of Wilderness and Kleinkrantz without water from Wednesday 19 November, reached epic proportions over the past week.
Despite continuous repair efforts by the George Municipality, new problems kept emerging, with several pipes bursting and water shooting into the air, visible from kilometres away.
By Tuesday 2 December, most residents had a steady supply of tap water once again, although some areas still reported low pressure.
The week had taken a heavy toll. Elderly residents struggled to carry buckets from municipal tankers, while guest houses and hotels were forced to cancel bookings or move guests at their own cost.
One Wilderness resident had to reinvent his entire morning routine. He swapped his usual bathroom for the beachside ablutions, taking a cold sunrise shower to get ready for work. He joked that nothing wakes you up faster than an icy blast and the possibility of a seagull judging your shampoo technique.
Sanjay Lalwani makes the most of a beachside shower during the water outage. Photo: Bernard van Ginkel
With the tourist season in full swing, the economic impact was immediate. Water trucks circulated through neighbourhoods to deliver relief, while reports of discoloured water and stomach problems raised health concerns and renewed calls for Disaster Management involvement.
Residents in Wilderness East, Whites Road and Kleinkrantz were the hardest hit. A community representative, who asked not to be named, said the old cement asbestos pipes could not withstand repeated pressure surges. Bursts became frequent, and ongoing roadworks, tunnel drilling along the N2 and heavy machinery may have contributed to the failures. A major leak was also discovered on Erf 1297 in Kleinkrantz, now occupied by informal dwellers.
Repairs on the Kleinkrantz pipeline. Photo: Supplied
According to the representative, the only long-term fix was a full replacement of the ageing pipeline network, a project that would be costly and complex.
Local businesses felt the effects sharply. Roxanne Blum, owner of The Girls on the Square restaurant, said cancellations and outages cut revenue to a third of normal peak season levels. The business has since invested in additional tanks.
Water tanks are off-loaded at The Girls on the Square restaurant. Roxanne Blum, the owner, said they won’t be caught short again. Photo: Roxanne Blum
Cecilia Steenberg of the Wilderness Laundromat said dirty brown water damaged their machines, forced refunds and led to reputational harm.
A Kleinkrantz resident expressed heartfelt relief when the water finally returned. “Greetings from the Wilderness with a water supply system that is working again. The gratitude is immense, especially among the people in Kleinkrantz who drew the shortest straw.”
Municipal response
Earlier this week, the George Municipality’s spokesperson, Chantèl Edwards, said the municipality acknowledged the concerns raised and confirmed that the water supply had been restored to all areas, with the Kleinkrantz reservoir expected to be fully stabilised by yesterday, 3 December.
She said the unusually high number of pipe failures was most likely caused by large volumes of air trapped in the system after the entire network had emptied due to a blockage in the main supply line from George. The final blockage was cleared on Saturday evening, 29 November.
Because Kleinkrantz is the furthest point in the distribution network, temporary restoration in Wilderness East did not reach the area. Municipal teams physically walked the line from the Ebb and Flow reservoir several times.
Late on Sunday night, 30 November, they found a pipe failure just before Kleinkrantz, capped the leak and reopened the network. Wilderness East then lost pressure again, prompting another full inspection while the teams continued scouring air from the system. Water began flowing back into the Kleinkrantz reservoir late on 1 December.
Edwards said the residents will not be charged for the water they did not receive.
The municipality said meter readings reflect actual usage, and no billing adjustments or compensation will be made. A civil engineering upgrade of the broader pipeline remains a priority, and further details will be shared once procurement and scheduling were finalised.
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