Department of Water and Sanitation
In the news
Bronkhorstspruit crisis highlights SA’s water service failures
The SAHRC and Wits have launched the Water Rights Tracker, revealing that 107 of South Africa's 144 water services authorities are in a poor or critical state as infrastructure…
Toxic taps expose Tshwane’s deadly water failures
More than 400 people, mostly young children, fell ill after the City of Tshwane supplied unchlorinated tap water to Bronkhorstspruit for three weeks without alerting residents,…
Revised policies aim to rescue collapsing municipalities
The South African government has launched the Revised White Paper on Local Government, introducing differentiated funding models and governance reforms to rescue distressed…
Aerial survey exposes pollution choking rivers feeding Hartbeespoort Dam
An aerial survey by Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Jack Bloom has laid bare the extensive sewage spills, illegal dumping, and infrastructure failures choking the river…
Tshwane admits negligence after 408 fall ill in Bronkhorstspruit
The City of Tshwane has admitted negligence after supplying unchlorinated water from the sewage-polluted Bronkhorstspruit River for three weeks without warning residents, leaving…
Ermelo braces for another Day Zero
Ermelo is bracing for an acute drinking water shortage within months as severe mining and sewage pollution, aging infrastructure, and looming El Niño conditions push the…
Splashing out on Spring Day is not funny
Spring Day water-splashing pranks have crossed the line from celebration to non-consensual harassment and reckless waste in a water-scarce South Africa.
River clean-ups alone won’t fix South Africa's water crisis, says Deputy Minister Jack Bloom
Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Jack Bloom states that community clean-up campaigns only address the symptoms of South Africa's river pollution. He emphasizes that lasting…
R4bn down the drain as KZN sheds 60% in non-revenue water
KwaZulu-Natal municipalities are losing close to R4 billion annually in water revenue, with eThekwini accounting for half of this. Revelations from a provincial water summit…
South Africa faces plastic pollution crisis, warns Water Research Commission
South Africa must urgently address escalating plastic pollution to avert a devastating crisis impacting humans, oceans, and aquatic life. The Water Research Commission issues a…
Honouring the class of 16 june 1976 through water security: youth empowerment is water security
The future of water security in South Africa will not be secured by infrastructure alone. It will be secured by people. More specifically, it will be secured by a generation of…