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.

The president said addressing the crisis required cooperation between national and local government, with municipalities needing to strengthen their management of water infrastructure. He added that the national government was increasingly taking responsibility for addressing water challenges while supporting municipalities with bulk water supply, distribution infrastructure, and the management of water resources.

Water is a major problem in our country. We’re a water-scarce country and we therefore need to use water sparingly.