Ramaphosa slams Tshwane over Bronkhorstspruit water crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa has accused the City of Tshwane of dereliction of duty in its handling of water services, describing the situation in Bronkhorstspruit as “unacceptable” as the municipality faces questions over a chlorine supply failure linked to an outbreak.

Ramaphosa said the incident exposed weaknesses in municipal water management and underscored the need for national government to intervene more directly in addressing the country’s water crisis.

What has happened in Bronkhorstspruit is a complete dereliction of the work and the duties that the municipality of Tshwane was supposed to be executing.

He said the municipality had initially failed to notify the Department of Water and Sanitation within 12 hours of stopping the disinfection of drinking water, a legal obligation under the Water Services Act. The crisis has seen hundreds of residents report gastrointestinal illnesses, with the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works identified as a major contributor after failing to chlorinate water before it was supplied to residents.

The deputy mayor acknowledged that the city had challenges with water supply, pointing to spillage further upstream as one of the contributing problems. The president said addressing the crisis required cooperation between national and local government, while the national government continues to support municipalities with bulk water supply.