PMB High Court temporarily closed due to onging water outages

The ongoing water outage in and around the Pietermaritzburg CBD has forced the Pietermaritzburg High Court to be temporarily closed. According to a statement from the office of the Chief Justice Thoba Phoyo-Dlwati, the area has been experiencing ongoing water shortage since last Tuesday. “The area is experiencing an ongoing water shortage since February 10, which has impacted court operations.

Internal contingency measures have since been exhausted, leading to the temporary closure of the building. “Affected parties will be contacted regarding alternative arrangements for all matters scheduled on the court roll for the day.” Operations are expected to resume tomorrow, 19 February 2026. A Pietermaritzburg lawyer, who asked not to be named, said that her colleagues left work earlier in the day due to an ongoing water outage.

“I know there have been issues with the water supply since last week, and even today, some courts closed early due to the water outage,” said the employee. Pietermaritzburg CBD councillor Garth Middleton said that the Pietermaritzburg Deeds Office, along with the court, had to close due to the water outage. “This has been an issue since last week, and those who are working with water supply have said they are fixing the strainer systems in several parts of the city.