Tshwane silent on Bronkhorstspruit’s discoloured water
Residents say they are worried about possibly getting water-borne illnesses
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Bronkhorstspruit resident Nicky Sibanda says her one-year-old son had to be treated for diarrhoea after drinking the discoloured tap water. Photo: Warren Mabona
Zithobeni resident Nicky Sibanda said she and her one-year-old have no choice but to drink the discoloured water from their tap. She has had diarrhoea and stomach pains for days and she suspects it is the water.
Zithobeni, a township near Bronkhorstspruit, where she lives has been battling poor water quality, contamination risks, and supply disruptions due to ageing infrastructure and plant failures.
Tshwane’s Green Drop overall score for wastewater treatment are below 34%.
At the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) public inquiry into water failures by Gauteng municipalities held in May, it emerged that the City of Tshwane’s infrastructure backlog is about R26-billion and it loses 39% of its water.
The City was also questioned about prolonged outages in Bronkhorstspruit.
In November 2025 reports stated that Bronkhorstspruit residents were told not to drink or cook with the water due to high turbidity.
In August 2026, the City warned people not to drink the water. Confirmed typhoid cases were reported.
Sibanda residents have to either drink discoloured water from their taps or buy water if they can afford it.
Sibanda said her baby was treated for diarrhoea but he is still sick. “I’m still worried about him. I also had diarrhoea and it stopped, but I’m still experiencing stomach pains.”
She said she reported the suspected contamination to the City to no avail.
Sibanda said water tankers often pass their homes and go to neighbouring sections of Zithobeni. She said she has to pay R5 for each five-litre container of drinking water from people in Zithobeni.
Several other residents we spoke to said they are worried about possibly getting water-borne illnesses. Residents said the City had promised to investigate the water discolouring at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant but they have not heard anything.
Another resident of Zithobeni, Juvenile Nahasse, told GroundUp he noticed the water was murky last month.
“We see water tankers from the municipality passing here almost every day. But they don’t deliver water to us. I call on the municipality to give us drinking water and resolve this water problem.”
In Ekangala township, 16 kilometres away, Sophy Mbonani had diarrhoea and stomach pains. She also suspects it is the tap water.
GroundUp sent a list of questions to City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo and the media team on 28 September. They confirmed receipt of the enquiry and promised to respond, but did not do so.
Juvenile Nahasse, who lives in Zithobeni in Bronkhorstspruit, shows a bucket of discoloured water he fetched from a tap in his home on 22 September. Archive photo: Warren Mabona
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