Sanitation
R1-billion to fix North West’s failed housing projects
The province is sitting with roughly 25,400 unfinished homes
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
News | 1 October 2026
Elections 2026: This municipality is pouring sewage into the Vaal River
Streams that feed the river are being contaminated by failing wastewater treatment in Matlosana municipality
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
Feature | 30 September 2026
Elections 2026: This failing town is knee-deep in sewage
Tswaing municipality in the North West spends money on court battles and consultants
Text by Seth Thorne. Photos by Ihsaan Haffejee.
Feature | 24 September 2026
Elections 2026: This town only gets water for an hour a day
Kou-Kamma Local Municipality says it needs R210-million to upgrade and maintain water and sanitation infrastructure
Feature | 21 September 2026
Raw sewage is flowing in nearly every metro
Sewage treatment scores have dropped in seven out of eight metro municipalities
Chart by The Outlier. Text by GroundUp Staff.
Charts | 18 September 2026
Elections 2026: N1 town’s decade of decay
Beaufort West municipality says it does not have enough money to fix its ageing infrastructure. But the problem is self-inflicted
Text by Mary-Anne Gontsana. Photos by Ashraf Hendricks.
Feature | 16 September 2026
We checked 470 toilets in this Cape Town informal settlement. Only 45 were working
“Only those who are desperate still live here” says Marikana community leader
Brief | 11 September 2026
One year later, sewage is still running through these Cape Town streets
“We have seen people living in sewage, and that is not acceptable,” says Human Rights Commissioner after visit to Bloekombos and Wallacedene
By Vincent Lali
News | 8 September 2026
Gauteng families live in a swamp of sewage
“We inhale the smell of our own faeces”
Brief | 4 September 2026