More complaints and cases over Bronkhorstspruit water crisis

Cases have been opened with the police and complaints laid at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the public protector and the Green Scorpions after more than 400 residents were treated for gastrointestinal illness in Bronkhorstspruit due to contaminated water.

Medical expert Dr Angelique Coetzee described the outbreak as extremely concerning.

“Safe municipal water supply is a basic public health responsibility and adequate chlorination is one of the most fundamental safeguards against waterborne disease,” she said.

“If it is confirmed that water was distributed without adequate chlorination, there must be clear accountability for how and why this was allowed to happen.

“Contaminated water can cause significant gastrointestinal illness and can be particularly dangerous for babies, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

“If unchlorinated or inadequately treated water was supplied to the public, that is not simply an operational oversight – it is a serious public health failure,” Coetzee said.

FW de Klerk Foundation warns of wider water management failures

The FW de Klerk Foundation also expressed concern over reports that hundreds of Bronkhorstspruit residents are falling ill.

The foundation’s Daniela Ellerbeck said it is a public health crisis and is a matter of constitutional significance.

“It is important to point out that this crisis was both foreseeable and preventable,” she said.

“In December 2025, Auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke informed parliament that 46% of drinking water systems failed to meet microbiological safety standards, 44% failed to meet chemical safety standards, and 99% of wastewater treatment plants failed to comply with at least one effluent quality standard,” she said.

“The report also found that infrastructure projects were delayed by an average of 32 months and 96% of water services authorities failed to adhere to maintenance standards.”

Ellerbeck said the situation in Bronkhorstspruit should not be viewed as an isolated incident, but rather as a warning of deeper, systemic weaknesses within South Africa’s water management.

Political parties pursue criminal cases and complaints

First, the DA opened a criminal case against the City of Tshwane, then the EFF opened a criminal case.

Now, Freedom Front Plus (FF+) councillor and Tshwane mayoral candidate Willie Spies said the party had lodged a complaint with the Green Scorpions (environmental management inspectors) regarding the ongoing sewage pollution of the Bronkhorstspruit River.

“This river, from which the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works draws water, is polluted by dysfunctional wastewater works and pump stations of the Tshwane metro and Victor Khanye,” he said.

“This pollution exacerbated the crisis.”

FF+ accuses Tshwane leadership of negligence

Spies said the water was so severely contaminated that not even boiling it made it potable.

“Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya openly accepted responsibility for negligence after the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works supplied untreated water to residents for nearly three weeks.

“Not only did the mayor and her mayoral committee member for utilities Molatelo Mashola fail to ensure that the water supplied to residents was properly treated with chlorine, but they also failed to timeously warn residents that the water was not safe for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing.”

Spies said they warned the city of the serious decay and lack of maintenance at the Bronkhorstspruit plant in June.

“Those warnings fell on deaf ears,” said Spies.

“This is not merely a service delivery failure, it is maladministration that created a serious health risk for vulnerable residents.”

Spies said FF+ has also lodged a complaint with the public protector.

DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the DA has also lodged a complaint with the SAHRC.

“The DA calls for the resignation of mayor Moya. Moya’s negligence has resulted in hundreds of reported cases of residents falling ill.”