Water department plans criminal action over Tshwane water failures

The Department of Water and Sanitation intends to pursue criminal action against City of Tshwane officials over failures in the supply of safe water to Bronkhorstspruit residents, where 595 illness cases were reported over ten days in October.

Concerns about inadequate chlorination, maintenance problems and delayed warnings to residents were raised during a joint virtual meeting of parliamentary committees on 23 October.

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo told the meeting that the department would also engage the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) over possible common-law offences linked to the non-compliance.

In addition, the department intends to lodge a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission.

According to the department, a non-compliance letter concerning the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant was sent to the municipality in February this year, requesting a remedial action plan.

The metro submitted its plan in March 2026, which included buying sufficient chemicals for the plant and appointing qualified staff.

The metro acknowledged shortcomings in implementing its corrective action plan, while investigations into the water-safety failures and the reported illnesses continue.

Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya acknowledged during the meeting that several elements of the plan had not been implemented within the prescribed deadlines.

“The situation could have been prevented,” she said, adding that authorities were working together to address the failures.

The department instructed the Water Research Commission to investigate the incident. Water samples were tested after Rand Water re-chlorinated the supply during the week, but the commission found the water remained unsafe for human consumption.

He said the warning should have made clear that the water was not only unsafe to drink but could also be unsuitable for activities such as bathing and handwashing.

A departmental official stressed that washing hands with contaminated water could undermine efforts to prevent the spread of illness and warned that bathing in it could pose risks, particularly to babies.

Children aged four and younger accounted for a significant proportion of those affected, and Zithobeni was identified as the hardest-hit area.

The department also identified concerns beyond chlorination at the plant.

Contaminated water entering from the Bronkhorstspruit River was cited as another problem, with the river receiving discharges from two wastewater treatment works operated by the Victor Khanye Local Municipality.

Rand Water group chief executive Sipho Mosai said work at the plant in October had helped restore its operational capacity, although further work remained.

He also highlighted maintenance difficulties caused by the unavailability of spare parts. Rand Water had been appointed by the metro to bring the plant back into compliance.

The rehabilitation programme included installing two raw-water pumps, sludge pumps and filters, cleaning the plant and chemical treatment.

He warned that insufficient chemical stocks posed a serious risk to the continuity of water supplies, but said the system could recover and, once properly operated and optimised, could deliver more water to the community than before.

Moya confirmed that the plant manager had been suspended and that the metro would investigate officials allegedly responsible for negligence. She also pledged that the metro would cooperate fully with all investigations.

The existing tender expires at the end of December; although the metro had sought alternative suppliers, the advertised tender had attracted no successful bidders.

The meeting also considered concerns about water safety in Pretoria’s central business district (CBD), following reports of children who became ill after drinking water in the area.

MP Stephen Moore told the meeting that the DA had received a report from a resident whose one-year-old child had been taken to a private hospital in Pretoria after becoming ill.

Moore said the child’s pathology results had reportedly identified norovirus and Campylobacter, pathogens also found in the Bronkhorstspruit cases, but that a link between the illness and contaminated water had not been confirmed.

He called for an urgent investigation by the Department of Health and the Department of Water and Sanitation into the reported concerns in the CBD, saying residents deserved answers.

Mahlobo subsequently obtained information from the hospital indicating that two children with diarrhoea had been admitted on 23 October.

He cautioned against drawing premature conclusions and urged the public to await confirmed results before linking the hospital cases to the water contamination incidents.

The concerns followed a boil-water alert issued by the metro on 22 October, warning residents and users of water from the Findley treatment works to boil water intended for human consumption because it was unsafe.

Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the supply from the affected plant had been shut off and water was being redirected from the Salvokop reservoir to the CBD.

Mahlobo and departmental officials visited the Fountains and Findley treatment facilities on 21 October.

During the parliamentary meeting, he said they had found chlorine shortages at the facilities, similar to the chemical compliance problems identified at Bronkhorstspruit. Referring to the department’s non-compliance report on the facilities, he warned:

“This could pose an acute health risk to people using water in the central business district.”

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