Whilst Knysna remains in the throes of a severe water crisis, with infrastructure failures disrupting water supply to thousands of residents, it seems that teamwork between multiple public and private entities is finally showing dividends. At time of going to press the two main pumps at the Charlesford pump station had been replaced and were running optimally, pushing water into the system at a stable rate of 190 litres per second.

The crisis began with breakdowns at the Charlesford and Homtini pump stations and has now stretched into its third week, triggering a multi-agency emergency response and widespread community frustration.

The initial cause of the crisis was the breakdown of critical water pumps responsible for maintaining water pressure and flow. These pumps, essential for supplying water to reservoirs and communities, suffered failures exacerbated by load shedding, which hampered the installation of replacement equipment. The underlying issue is the long-standing problem of ageing and poorly maintained infrastructure, which has struggled to meet demand, resulting in water restrictions since December 2022.

The water crisis has impacted at least eleven wards across Greater Knysna. Areas severely affected include Hornlee, White Location, Rhobololo, Jood-se-Kamp, Dam-se-Bos, 7de Laan, Brenton-on-Sea, Noetzie, Bigai, and Sunridge. Some residents have endured outages for up to four weeks, leading to protests and increasing reliance on water tankers.

On May14, Knysna Municipality declared a local state of emergency and activated a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) under the Disaster Management Act to coordinate relief efforts. Still in place, this JOC includes the Garden Route District Municipality, Western Cape Government, Knysna SAPS, Fire and Rescue Services, the Knysna Infrastructure Group, and organisations such as Gift of the Givers and AfriForum.

Fourteen water tankers are operating daily from 07.00 to 23.00, delivering water to designated zones. A revised delivery schedule assigns tankers to specific reservoir areas, monitored daily from the Knysna Fire Station.

Whilst the replacement pumps have been successfully installed at the Charlesford Pump Station, allowing the series of reservoirs to start filling, water conservation appeals are still being issued. Residents are urged to reduce water consumption, particularly in areas with critically low reservoir levels.

Gift of the Givers has deployed multiple teams and water tankers to deliver water to communities, old age homes, schools, and businesses. SANParks has also assisted by providing fire trucks for water distribution.

Despite the relief efforts, frustration is growing among residents due to the prolonged outages and the perceived lack of adequate response from local authorities. Some residents have resorted to barricading roads in protest. The Garden Route District Health Unit reported no cases of waterborne diseases as of May 18, 2025.

Regular disinfection of delivered water continues, with residents advised to boil water as a precaution due to discolouration issues.
Full system normalisation is expected to take several days. The municipality and its partners are focussing on stabilising the water supply and preventing future crises through infrastructure improvements. The Knysna water system is expected to begin to return to normal over two to four days.

The coming together of so many private and public agencies, as well as financial and time input from willing individuals, is testimony to how a crisis should be handled. Whilst there will undoubtedly be much to say about where the responsibility for this infrastructure breakdown lies, the communities of Greater Knysna will surely appreciate the team effort that has gone into getting their hometown up and running again.