DELPORT, EKURHULENI — The Delport water crisis in Ekurhuleni persists despite stark warnings from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), leaving thousands of residents struggling to access basic water services. Two months after the SAHRC called out Gauteng municipalities for what it described as a “profound violation of human rights,” the informal settlement remains heavily dependent on privately contracted water tankers—a costly system that has drained more than R116 million from taxpayers.
In May, the SAHRC held a probe into the Gauteng water crisis, labeling the situation a gross violation of human rights. During the hearings, municipalities across the province appeared and made promises to mitigate the challenges. However, the commission flagged the municipalities’ reliance on private water tankers as a costly practice and a potential form of corruption. Commissioners noted that while millions are spent on service providers, municipalities simultaneously argue they lack sufficient financial resources to provide basic services. The SAHRC commissioner explicitly called on municipalities to discontinue this practice, recommending the use of in-house water tankers where necessary.
Despite these recommendations, the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has not adhered to the directive in Delport. Established in 2003 and home to more than 4,000 people, the informal settlement sees residents queuing daily for water—not from taps, but from a privately owned water tanker outsourced by the municipality. The water is so scarce that after an allocation of five buckets per person, the supply merely drips “in bits and pieces,” as residents describe it.
For 15 years, the community had no taps. A few were finally installed by the municipality in 2018, but they remain constantly dry. Three years ago, local councilors promised to install water taps in each street, a pledge that remains unfulfilled. Although the water tankering system has been in place across the municipality for a long time, residents note it only arrived in Delport in 2024.
The daily struggle is epitomized by a 21-year-old resident who earns a meager living by fetching water for the community. Each day, he fills bucket after bucket, loads a trolley, and pushes it through the scorching heat to deliver water to elderly residents who cannot make the trip, charging 10 rand per load. “For those of us who still haven’t found employment, this is how we make a living,” he explained, adding that the sight of small children dragging buckets highlights the severity of the struggle. He noted that the tanker is stationed too far from the heart of the community, causing trolleys to get stuck and buckets to fall, forcing residents to start over.
For those living on the far end of the settlement, the situation has been even more dire. Residents report that for three weeks, a broken water pipe left unrepaired by the municipality forced them to collect drinking water from a nearby lake. Given that the area is a mining zone, residents understand this water is contaminated. It was only after a resident made three visits to the municipality that a tap was finally installed on the pipe.
The lack of reliable water also means residents cannot do laundry in the comfort of their homes. Consequently, most community members wash their clothes beneath a bridge that reeks of raw sewage, using water from a gated dam. Residents report that when the sewer flows, it runs straight under the bridge where they wash.
During the SAHRC hearings, it was revealed that the reliance on private water tankers has cost taxpayers over R116 million in the past five years. This has raised serious questions about why these funds were not redirected toward improving the area’s aging water infrastructure.
Defending the current approach, an Ekurhuleni spokesperson acknowledged the SAHRC’s recommendations, noting the commission’s warnings about a “water tanker mafia” connected to corruption and the high costs involved. “However, we do have a constitutional imperative to provide clean drinking water to communities,” the spokesperson stated. “In the long term, we would want to reduce the use of water tankers. In the City of Ekurhuleni, in this new financial year, we have committed to buying our own water tankers so that we don’t depend on contracted services, but that is an ongoing process.”
The SAHRC maintains that the municipality can and should do away with this system entirely. Commission representatives pointed to a strong indication of corruption, citing a lack of transparency regarding how water tankers are appointed and whether there are any improper relations with municipal managers.
Meanwhile, reliable sources indicate that the Office of the Public Protector has launched an investigation into the use of private water tankers in municipalities, with a specific focus on the City of Ekurhuleni and the Delport area, east of Johannesburg.
For young residents like the 21-year-old resident, the hope remains that basic services will eventually be mitigated. “I earn a living through this, but it is painful. I’m too young to be doing this,” he said, expressing hope that he will one day find formal employment, allowing someone else to take over the grueling task.
