NOT A DROP: ‘This thing is killing us’ — residents bear the cost of Tshwane’s water failures
Warnings about a failing treatment plant went unheeded before more than 400 people fell ill following a chlorine shortage. Now, Bronkhorstspruit residents say they are struggling to find safe water as sewage spills onto their streets.
Residents of Bronkhorstspruit are facing a crisis after their town's treatment plant began pumping unchlorinated, sewage-polluted water into communal taps, leading to more than 400 cases of severe gastrointestinal illness and diarrhoea. Susan Mashilo, a 37-year-old resident, shares her struggle as she walks with a wheelbarrow filled with water containers to secure safe water from a burst pipe on the outskirts of the township.
The town's treatment works have failed to take action despite warnings from multiple sources, including three reports flagging poor water quality, a formal noncompliance letter from the national Department of Water and Sanitation, and a low score of 42.3% in the DWS Blue Drop Report. Despite these warnings, the municipality did not implement corrective actions, resulting in a public health disaster.
The City of Tshwane has placed the Bronkhorstspruit plant manager on precautionary suspension and initiated an independent forensic investigation into chemical supply contracts and communication breakdowns.
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