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The Citizen
16-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Ekurhuleni assures residents of safe water quality during Rand Water maintenance
The city has reassured residents that water quality will not be compromised during the scheduled Rand Water maintenance. This assurance comes as the city maintains its certification of clean and safe water supply, confirmed by the National Department of Water and Sanitation's Blue Drop Report of 2023. Rand Water, the city's bulk water supplier, is undertaking critical infrastructure repairs starting at 05:00 tomorrow, July 15, and concluding at 07:00 on July 18. ALSO READ: Water supply interruption in Ekurhuleni from July 15 due to Rand Water work The maintenance will temporarily disrupt the water supply to several areas across the metro, including Kempton Park, Germiston, Thembisa, Edenvale, and Bedfordview. In response, the city will dispatch water tankers to affected areas as a relief measure. To ensure that residents continue to receive the same high-quality water, Ekurhuleni's water quality section will collect and test water samples from each tanker before distribution. This process safeguards the integrity of the water supply, even during periods of disruption. The city has encouraged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour involving the water tankers, including the illegal sale of water, which is strictly prohibited. Any concerns related to water quality should be reported immediately to the City of Ekurhuleni's call centre at 0860 543 000. 'The safety and health of our residents remain our top priority,' said the city in a statement. ALSO READ: Water supply interruption in Ekurhuleni from July 15 due to Rand Water work 'Maintaining our Blue Drop standard – whether through piped supply or water tankers – is non-negotiable.' Residents can expect updates through the city's official communication platforms throughout the maintenance period. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
15-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
City assures water tanker supply is safe as maintenance begins
Rand Water's planned maintenance, which is set to affect parts of Ekurhuleni from today, July 15, has begun, with the City reassuring residents that water supplied through tankers during this period remains safe for consumption. The maintenance, scheduled from 05:00 on July 15 until 07:00 on July 18, will affect areas including Kempton Park, Germiston, Thembisa, Edenvale, and Bedfordview. As Rand Water, the city's bulk water supplier, undertakes major repairs to its infrastructure to ensure continued water quality, the City of Ekurhuleni has dispatched water tankers as a temporary relief measure to affected areas. Also read: Water supply disruptions expected in Kempton Park and Thembisa The City emphasised that the water supplied via these tankers meets the same quality standards as the municipal tap water, maintaining the clean supply certified by the National Department of Water's Blue Drop Report of 2023. The Water Quality Section collects and tests water samples from all tankers before they are sent out to the community. Also read: 50-HOUR Rand Water shutdown to impact Kempton Park taps The City has also called on residents to remain vigilant and report any irregularities involving water tankers, including attempts to sell water meant for community relief, to ensure that the emergency supply reaches those who need it most. Residents who experience any water quality concerns are encouraged to contact the City's Call Centre immediately on 0860 543 000. IMPORTANT: Water tanker locations will be published as soon as they are made available. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Water Crisis: Out of water, out of time, and out of excuses
More than R22 billion is owed to water boards, with entities such as Sedibeng Water already bankrupt. Magalies Water and Vaal Central Water were on the verge of collapse, threatening water supplies to entire provinces. Image: Doctor Ngcobo/Independent Newspapers SOUTH Africa's water crisis is spiralling out of control, with nearly half the country's drinking water now unsafe, wastewater treatment plants collapsing, and billions of rand owed by bankrupt municipalities. A damning presentation to Parliament's Select Committee on Water and Sanitation this week revealed a system in freefall, where corruption, incompetence, and neglect have pushed the nation to the brink of a full-blown public health disaster. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) admitted that nearly half of the country's water supply systems failed basic safety standards, a shocking increase from just 5% 10 years ago. The Blue Drop Report for 2023 painted a grim picture: Gauteng, with the most skilled personnel, has the best-performing systems, while the Northern Cape, plagued by severe staff shortages, had the worst. Meanwhile, a shocking 66% of municipal wastewater treatment plants are in disrepair, with more than 60% of municipalities discharging partially treated or even raw sewage directly into rivers. 'We are facing a water pollution crisis,' Deputy Minister Isaac Seitholo told MPs. 'Unless we urgently fix dysfunctional wastewater treatment works, the pollution will escalate, with devastating consequences for human health, the environment, and local economies.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The Vaal River, which supplies about 60% of the country's population, is among the hardest hit. Despite the launch of the Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forum last October, Seitholo admitted that pollution continued largely unchecked. The Wilge and Vals rivers were also severely contaminated, with sewage spills and industrial waste turning them into toxic hazards. The EFF's Khanya Ceza demanded answers: 'How can we allow our people to drink increasingly contaminated water while municipalities and industries dump waste with impunity?' He pointed to the SA Human Rights Commission's findings, which revealed severe water access failures in Bushbuckridge, eMalahleni, and other neglected regions. The financial collapse of municipalities is accelerating the crisis. More than R22 billion is owed to water boards, with entities such as Sedibeng Water already bankrupt. Magalies Water and Vaal Central Water were on the verge of collapse, threatening water supplies to entire provinces. To recover debt, National Treasury is now withholding equitable share funds from defaulting municipalities, but this risks crippling service delivery even further. 'If these water boards collapse, entire regions will be left without water,' director-general of the DWS, Dr Sean Phillips, warned. Deputy Minister Mahlobo acknowledged the dilemma: 'Municipalities don't pay, infrastructure fails, and communities suffer. We are trapped in a vicious cycle.' The Committee heard shocking accounts of delayed mega-projects, rampant corruption, and violent disruptions by construction mafias. The Clanwilliam Dam wall project, initially budgeted at R2.2bn, ballooned to R5.6bn, with only 22% completed. Meanwhile, the Kroonstad wastewater treatment works, which cost R105 million, is non-functional despite years of work. 'Construction mafias have killed workers in eThekwini and Rand Water projects,' Mahlobo said. The DWS has now classified key water infrastructure as national strategic assets, deploying law enforcement to protect sites, but progress remains slow. Despite ambitious targets to eliminate water backlogs, MPs questioned how this could be achieved when informal settlements expand daily and rural municipalities such as OR Tambo, Amathole, and Sekhukhune remain chronically underfunded. The MK Party's Edward Nzimande slammed the DWS for failing to address inequality: 'Why are dumping sites and pollution always concentrated in townships and rural areas, while affluent suburbs remain untouched?' The DWS insisted that new reforms — such as the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) and public-private partnerships (PPPs) — would rescue the sector. However, with only 5.7% of infrastructure needs currently funded, scepticism remained high.
