BRONKHORSTSPRUIT, Gauteng — The Bronkhorstspruit water crisis has intensified as residents express deep distrust in alternative water supplies following a severe Tshwane water contamination incident that has left hundreds hospitalized.
The City of Tshwane metro recently decommissioned the local water treatment plant after the supply became compromised due to a prolonged lack of chlorination. In response, the municipality deployed 36 water tankers to collect water from Cullinan for distribution to the affected communities. However, with residents still reeling from the health impacts of the contamination crisis, confidence in the alternative water supply remains critically low.
Community members report that the current allocation of six tankers per ward is vastly insufficient to meet the soaring demand. Furthermore, many are refusing to consume the delivered water, opting instead to boil it or seek alternative sources due to fears of falling ill.
“We are not able to drink this water as it gives us diarrhea,” one resident explained, highlighting the financial strain of the crisis. “We also don’t have money to buy bottled water, and we’re using flushing toilets, so we can’t live without water.”
Distrust in the municipal supply has led some to bypass the tankers entirely. “I don’t drink this water from the tankers. I drink borehole water which I get at a nearby school,” another community member stated. “I don’t trust water brought by the tankers as they have previously made me sick. We need enough tankers so that we can all get water. We don’t trust it because we don’t know where it’s coming from.”
The city is currently under mounting pressure to account for the outbreak, which has seen more than 400 residents treated for severe gastrointestinal illness. During an intergovernmental briefing on Monday, Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya formally accepted the city’s responsibility for the outbreak. She acknowledged that the failure to adequately chlorinate the water directly contributed to the public health emergency.
Addressing calls for accountability, Mayor Moya confirmed that officials found responsible for delaying the chlorination process will face disciplinary action.
“And for those who are asking for accountability, of course, there will be a cost taken against the officials,” Mayor Moya stated. “There are officials that are entrusted to manage the plants, and the fact that we, as leadership, were not even informed on time that there is a problem with chlorine—even though they thought they were handling it—is unacceptable. This matter is already underway through the Chief Operating Officer, as the officials are in the Water and Sanitation Department.”
The fallout has also triggered external oversight. The Office of the Public Protector has taken a keen interest in the matter and is seeking comprehensive answers from the city regarding the contamination and the circumstances that led to the outbreak. As an initial step in the inquiry, the Public Protector will be approaching the Tshwane City Manager to demand a formal response and to facilitate further investigation.
Meanwhile, strict water restrictions remain in place. Residents have been heavily warned against using the affected municipal water for drinking, washing, or bathing until it is officially confirmed safe.
As the Bronkhorstspruit treatment plant undergoes extensive rehabilitation, the community remains heavily reliant on the tanker deliveries. However, until the municipality can provide ironclad assurances that the alternative supply is both safe and sufficient, the standoff between frustrated residents and local authorities continues.
