South Africa Water Crisis Illness Cases Rise to 833

October 27, 2026 | By Semahegn Nigatu

The number of gastrointestinal illness cases linked to suspected contaminated water in South Africa’s Bronkhorstspruit area has more than doubled to 833, prompting authorities to repair the affected water treatment plant and expand alternative water supplies.

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina announced the revised figure on Monday during a visit by an inter-ministerial committee chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

The number of reported cases has risen from 408 previously. No critical cases or deaths had been reported as of Monday, according to the government.

Majodina said the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant had been shut down for repairs and cleaning, but contaminated water may already have entered the distribution system before the closure. She also said some residents continued using water stored in household containers after the shutdown.

Four pumps have been installed at the plant, and authorities are working to restore its first phase. Rand Water, the country’s bulk water supplier, is leading a multidisciplinary team working with the national department and the City of Tshwane municipality to address the problem.

Mashatile said repairs would take several weeks, although authorities had not set a specific completion date. The government has arranged alternative water supplies while work continues.

The City of Tshwane is distributing free drinking water through tanker trucks. Majodina said the arrangement was an emergency measure rather than a long-term solution because of the cost to municipalities and the inconvenience to residents.

The minister also said the government was auditing water treatment facilities, with particular attention to Gauteng province, where population pressures and unreliable supplies have intensified concerns about infrastructure. She estimated that at least 400 billion rand was needed to repair the country’s ageing water infrastructure and called for greater private-sector participation in municipal water services.

Authorities said chlorine supplies at the Bronkhorstspruit plant were sufficient for another six to seven weeks, with additional supplies expected before stocks ran low.

Majodina said no link had been established between the water supply problems in Bronkhorstspruit and those in Hammanskraal, another area in Tshwane that has faced water quality concerns.

The government said it was intensifying efforts to prevent further cases of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal illness as repairs and public health measures continued.

Source: FSX Business News