The City of Tshwane supplied unchlorinated tap water to communities in Bronkhorstspruit and surrounding areas for three weeks without issuing warnings, leading to at least 408 reported cases of gastrointestinal illness.
Tshwane Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya publicly admitted municipal negligence during a media briefing on Monday, confirming that the plant had exhausted its chlorine supply following an unresolved pricing dispute with a private contractor.
According to findings by the Department of Water and Sanitation, the failure occurred between 24 September and 14 October at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works. The plant draws raw water directly from the Bronkhorstspruit River, a water system heavily polluted by dysfunctional municipal wastewater works and faulty sewage pump stations. Tests conducted on water samples revealed alarming concentrations of *E. coli* and total coliforms across the distribution network and local reservoirs.
Between 7 and 18 October, health facilities across Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, Dark City, Rethabiseng, and Sokhulumi recorded 408 cases of severe gastrointestinal infection, with the majority of patients aged under four. Laboratory tests carried out by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed the presence of Campylobacter, Shigella, and norovirus in stool samples, though no cholera was detected. No fatalities have been recorded to date.
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Emergency interventions
The mounting Bronkhorstspruit water crisis has prompted severe warnings from health and water authorities, who instructed residents not to use tap water for drinking, cooking, bathing, or washing food, even after boiling. The municipal supply may currently only be used for flushing toilets.
To alleviate the emergency, the municipality deployed a fleet of 36 water tankers carrying safe drinking water sourced from the Cullinan Water Treatment Works.
Addressing the municipal oversight, Mayor Moya confirmed that administrative steps have begun against officials who failed to escalate the plant’s operational breakdown.
The issue has also exposed broader mechanical infrastructure defects at the 60-year-old facility, including broken pumps and sand filters. Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina confirmed that the city is appointing Rand Water as an implementing agent to take over operations and stabilise the plant. While chlorine supplies were restored and the facility reopened on 16 October to refill distribution networks, authorities cautioned that there is no confirmed date for when tap water will be safe for human consumption.
Image via Waterdrop Filter.
