Tshwane drowns in R22.8bn waste

Water Losses

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) last report into water and sanitation service shipment in Gauteng discovers that the City has actually collected about R22.84 billion in unauthorised, irregular, unsuccessful and inefficient expense, brings an approximated R23bn facilities stockpile, loses 39% of its water and runs with a 41% local job rate.

The Commission discovered that Tshwane’s action has actually been “not yet enough to conquer the scale of the City’s built up facilities, wastewater and institutional shortages”.

The SAHRC discovered that Tshwane got a certified audit viewpoint and taped about R22.84 bn in unauthorised, irregular, useless and inefficient expense. The Auditor-General recognized insufficient internal controls needing intervention, and 14 product abnormalities have actually been released versus the City given that 2019.

“Eleven had actually been fixed, and proper action was being handled the staying 3,” the report kept in mind. It includes: “The scale of the City’s more comprehensive financial-control shortages stays considerable.”

Water losses alone total up to about R1.7 bn every year, or 39% of the water streaming through local pipelines, well above National Treasury’s standard series of 15% to 30%.

The City’s costs on externally procured water tankering was referred to as “remarkably high”, increasing from roughly R47 million in 2021/22 to R777m in 2024/25, before decreasing to about R362m in 2025/26.

“The magnitude of tanker expense needs specific attention,” the Commission discovered. While casual settlements develop a real requirement for alternative supply, “continual expense at this scale shows both the expense of reliance upon road-based water circulation and the significance of guaranteeing that alternative arrangement does not end up being a long-term alternative to sustainable facilities”.

The Commission discovered that Tshwane experiences “serious institutional and technical-capacity restraints”. The total job rate is 41%, with 28% of senior-management positions and 25% of financing positions uninhabited.

The Water and Sanitation Business Unit is “especially worrying”. Of an authorized facility of 1 826 positions, just 966 were filled. An additional 92 financed positions were uninhabited, and 768 were unfunded.

“The scale of these jobs materially restricts the City’s functional capability,” the Commission discovered.

The effects show up in everyday service shipment. The City reported increased reliance on overtime, with the overtime spending plan usually tired by April. “Employees might then decrease emergency situation or unexpected work where payment can not be verified,” the report specified.

The Green Drop evaluation recognized a requirement for 16 procedure controllers, while Blue Drop technical-skills ratings differed from 0% to 93.1% in between systems.

“Capacity restrictions are not simply shown in job stats however have verifiable functional effects for upkeep, emergency situation reaction, water-quality tracking and treatment operations,” the Commission discovered. “This makes up among the City’s substantial underlying water-services dangers.”

Wastewater treatment “makes up a severe weak point within Tshwane’s water-services system”. The City attained a general Green Drop rating of 33.8%, positioning its efficiency in the bad classification.

Tshwane runs 16 wastewater treatment works, however operating-capacity details was not available for 14. Daspoort Wastewater Treatment Works was running at 119% of style capability.

Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) enforcement proof determined instructions or criminal procedures worrying Sunderland Ridge, Zeekoeqat, Baviaanspoort, Klipgat, Godrich and Rooiwal, with continuing non-compliant discharges reported at numerous centers.

“Rooiwal’s discharge into the Apies River has actually negatively impacted raw-water quality readily available to the Temba Water Treatment Works,” the report specified.

Tshwane is likewise impacted by failures beyond its jurisdiction. Raw-water contamination from Ekurhuleni’s Hartebeesfontein Wastewater Treatment Works impacted production at Rietvlei.

There has actually been restorative action, especially at Rooiwal, where repair work, upgrades and repair are under method, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa has actually been selected as executing representative. The DWS-funded Klipdrift bundle plant offers interim drinking-water capability for Hammanskraal.

“These interventions are substantive instead of simply institutional,” the Commission acknowledged. “However, continuing non-compliant discharges and the bad Green Drop rating show that restorative action has actually not yet brought back appropriate wastewater efficiency.”

Tshwane’s drinking-water security efficiency is “irregular and needs ongoing attention”. Its general Blue Drop rating of 35.2% falls within the low-risk classification, however results differ substantially throughout its 12 water-supply systems.

Tracking has actually likewise been impacted by scarcities of samplers, cars, procedure controllers and technical workers. “A scarcity of samplers led to no tasting at Bronkhorstbaai and Sokhulumi throughout April 2025, while inadequate lorries were reported to impact the City’s capability to keep the needed tracking frequency,” the report mentioned.

“Low Water Safety Plan ratings and significant variation in between specific systems indicate that strong efficiency in some systems can not be dealt with as proof of evenly safe and durable drinking-water management throughout the city.”

The District Health Barometer taped 1 950 diarrhoea separations and 16 deaths amongst kids under 5 throughout 2024/25. “These figures do not develop that local drinking water triggered the reported health problems or deaths,” the Commission warns, however states continued system-specific tracking and preventative danger management are especially crucial.

The City approximates its facilities stockpile at about R23bn. Aging facilities adds to leakages and service disturbances, while about 463km two of the local location is underlain by dolomite.

Tshwane offered “substantially more in-depth functional proof worrying disturbances than the majority of towns thought about by the Commission”. The Commission warned that this ought to not read as proof of more failures, however rather as proof of “relatively established functional tracking”.

The Commission’s general finding is that Tshwane shows “significant functional, facilities and governance pressures, however likewise relatively strong proof of local preparation, tracking and restorative action”.