Bronkhorstspruit water Crisis: Mashatile says government doesn’t know where tankers get their supply

• Deputy President Paul Mashatile visited Bronkhorstspruit on 26 October 2026 after a contaminated water crisis left hundreds ill
• The Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works went without chlorination for roughly three weeks, with over 400 people falling sick
• The Deputy President raised concern over private water tanker suppliers operating in the area during the shutdown period

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG - Deputy President Paul Mashatile travelled to Bronkhorstspruit for an oversight visit aimed at assessing the government's response to a water contamination crisis that left hundreds of residents ill.

Speaking at a press conference, Mashatile confirmed that the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works had been taken offline to allow for repairs and cleaning.

He said the City of Tshwane would be deploying water tankers to ensure no resident went without water while the plant was being attended to, with the relevant minister and the local mayor set to communicate the specific distribution points.

Mashatile raises concerns about water tankers

However, Mashatile raised serious concerns about private suppliers moving in to fill the gap.

"We are quite concerned about private suppliers of water with water tankers because we don't know where they get that water from," he said, adding that authorities would be conducting inspections of those operators.

Turning his attention to the crisis, he confirmed that the contractor Rand Water had already begun work on the plant, though he declined to give a fixed timeline for completion.

"Rand Water will take a few weeks sorting it out. We can't put a specific time frame for them, but as I speak to you, they have started with the work," Mashatile said.

The crisis stems from a roughly three-week period between approximately 24 September and 14 October 2026, during which the treatment works failed to chlorinate the water it supplied after encountering problems with its chlorine supplier. The plant draws raw water from the Bronkhorstspruit River, which carries high levels of pollution from dysfunctional upstream wastewater treatment works as well as failing Tshwane sewage pump stations.

Residents had not been adequately warned that the water coming from their taps was unsafe for drinking, cooking or bathing during the contamination period.

Other stories about the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis

• City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya hit back at former mayor Cilliers Brink over his statements on the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis.
• Residents across Bronkhorstspruit and nearby areas received urgent instructions on what they cannot use their tap water for.
• The Economic Freedom Fighters and Democratic Alliance filed criminal charges against the City of Tshwane in the wake of the crisis.

Source: Briefly News

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