The City of Tshwane is facing mounting demands for accountability after 408 people fell ill with gastrointestinal illnesses in Bronkhorstspruit and surrounding communities, with WaterCAN calling for an inquiry and opposition parties pursuing criminal action over the failure to chlorinate the water.
The demands follow findings by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) that water supplied by the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works went without chlorination for three weeks, between September 24 and October 14.
A joint statement issued on Monday by the national departments of Water and Sanitation and Health, the Gauteng government, and the City of Tshwane confirmed that 408 cases were reported between October 7 and 18. Most of those affected were children under the age of four. No deaths had been reported at the time of the statement.
Water quality tests conducted by DWS on October 14 found extremely high levels of E. coli and total coliforms in water from the treatment works and nearby reservoirs. Laboratory tests of stool samples from affected patients detected norovirus, Campylobacter and Shigella.
The department’s investigation found that difficulties with the city’s chlorine supplier had resulted in the treatment works operating without chlorination. It also found that the municipality had failed to warn residents that the water had not been chlorinated and should not be used for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing, even after boiling.
WaterCAN Executive Director Dr Ferrial Adam said the outbreak raised serious questions about oversight and the consequences for officials responsible for water services.
“There needs to be an immediate inquiry into the latest incident at Bronkhorstspruit, including suspensions of senior officials who have oversight of the water treatment works. This is simply unacceptable in South Africa’s capital. There is a clear collapse of oversight and lives could have been lost,” Adam said.
She said the incident could not be viewed in isolation, pointing to recurring typhoid cases in Bronkhorstspruit and surrounding communities, as well as persistent complaints about unreliable water supplies, discoloured water and deteriorating sanitation infrastructure.
“These problems have been documented for years. People are getting sick, communities are suffering, and we are still waiting for meaningful accountability.”
The EFF has also questioned the city’s failure to warn residents about the safety of their water, announcing that its treasurer-general and Tshwane mayoral candidate, Omphile Maotwe, would take legal steps over the failure to chlorinate the water.
“The EFF is shocked that the city never warned residents the water was unsafe for drinking, cooking, washing, or bathing,” the party said.
The EFF said it would also lodge a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission over what it described as a violation of residents’ right to water. It called for an intergovernmental task team to help contain the outbreak and demanded more consistent communication from the municipality.
Meanwhile, the DA has opened a criminal case against the city at Pretoria Central police station over the issue.
DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink called on Moya to release the full water-quality test results and explain why residents had not been warned timeously.
Brink also called for a forensic investigation into the R777 million it said the municipality spent on water tankers during the 2024/25 financial year. He questioned the spending in relation to the amount allocated to repairing and maintaining water infrastructure.
“We have demanded a forensic investigation into the R777 million spent on water tankers. We want to know who authorised the contracts, who benefited, and why essential maintenance was left to rot,” he said.
Moya defended the city’s communication, saying officials had to work with other agencies to establish the cause of the outbreak before making a definitive announcement. She said those responsible for the failures would be held accountable.
“In terms of the reports, the number of cases where we noticed a surge was on October 7. There was a time when we obviously had to work with other entities to confirm what the issue was,” Moya said.
She said the City’s MMC for Health had communicated that diarrhoea cases were being reported, but officials were not yet in a position to confirm the cause of the outbreak.
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina said the government had initiated accountability steps against those responsible for the pollution and compliance failures.
The department has also appointed the Water Research Commission to conduct independent water-quality testing and investigate the causes of the contamination, with its report expected by October 28.
anita.nkonki@nationalmg.co.za