SAHRC flags R777m tanker bill amid Gauteng water crisis

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has raised concerns about corruption linked to water tanker contracts in Gauteng, where municipalities continue spending millions while residents face prolonged water outages.

The findings were released on Monday, 2 November, following an inquiry into water and sanitation services across the province.

SAHRC commissioner Dr Henk Boshoff questioned why municipalities were spending hundreds of millions of rands on emergency water supplies instead of repairing infrastructure.

“Water tankering has become a brazen form of corruption and financial mismanagement,” Boshoff said.

He accused some municipal officials and service providers of benefiting from the continued reliance on water tankers.

However, the commission’s report said it did not have sufficient evidence to establish corruption in the procurement of tanker services.

Tshwane’s R777 million water tanker bill

According to the commission, the City of Tshwane spent R777 million on water tankers during the 2024/25 financial year.

This was up from R47 million in 2021/22.

Boshoff questioned the expenditure, saying the money could have been used to upgrade water infrastructure.

“It is simply not acceptable where metropolitan municipalities are spending hundreds of millions of rands a year on water tankering,” he said.

He warned that emergency water deliveries had become a regular part of municipal services in some communities, rather than a temporary measure during outages.

What is causing Gauteng’s water crisis?

The SAHRC found that Gauteng’s water problems were not simply caused by a shortage of water.

Instead, the inquiry identified ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance, water losses, inadequate storage capacity and electricity interruptions among the main contributors.

Failing wastewater treatment plants and shortages of technical staff have also affected service delivery.

The commission conducted its inquiry from 19 to 21 May 2026 after receiving repeated complaints about water interruptions, sewage pollution and deteriorating infrastructure.

Boshoff said municipalities and other authorities needed to address the failures rather than continue relying on temporary measures.

SAHRC demands action

The commission has made eight recommendations aimed at improving Gauteng’s water and sanitation services.

These include repairing failing wastewater treatment plants, improving maintenance and protecting water infrastructure against theft and vandalism.

It also wants municipalities to assess whether reservoirs have sufficient storage capacity during interruptions to bulk water supply.

The SAHRC called on the Department of Water and Sanitation, Gauteng’s Cooperative Governance Department and the province’s three metropolitan municipalities to consider guidelines for water tanker services.

The commission said it would monitor implementation of its recommendations and report on progress.