The extreme drought that affected Cape Town in 2016���18 was unprecedented for a major metropolitan region in South Africa. Ameliorative interventions by the national, provincial and municipal governments were comprehensive, if somewhat controversial and uncoordinated. Policy lessons and implications for future drought events emerged from a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) survey, conducted to elucidate lifestyle changes and water conservation methodologies adopted by Western Cape households, businesses and organisations. Several policy implications emerge in respect of education and awareness creation, investment in water infrastructure, cooperative governance and communicational clarity in managing a drought disaster.