Tshwane Metro’s water crisis reaches tipping point as years of infrastructure neglect catch up with residents

AfriForum says residents are left to bear the burden of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality’s water crisis without evidence that excessive end-user consumption is driving the current pressure, while two major failures within the Metro’s own water system have occurred within days of each other. The Metro is now urging residents supplied by the Garsfontein and Klapperkop systems to urgently reduce their water consumption. The warning follows Rand Water’s 20 October statement that excessive municipal water consumption was placing the bulk water supply system under severe pressure.

AfriForum does not dispute that residents should use water responsibly or that hot weather can increase demand. However, the timing of the Metro’s warning is concerning. On 19 October, a pipeline coupling failure at Garsfontein Reservoir disrupted water supplies to three wards. On 21 October, the Metro confirmed sewage contamination of water supplied from Findlay Reservoir following a burst sewer pipe, requiring the reservoir to be emptied and the system flushed.

While residents are urged to reduce their water consumption these incidents raise a basic question: How much water is being lost because of failures within the municipal system itself?

The latest Monthly Dashboard for a Water Secure Gauteng, dated 30 September 2026, records the Metro’s total water losses at 43.8% and physical losses at 35.0%, more than twice the stated target of 15% for physical losses. The dashboard also shows that water losses have increased over the longer term. Although these figures alone do not prove that residents’ water consumption has not increased, they clearly show that a substantial share of the bulk water entering the Metro’s system is not reaching users as billed consumption.

AfriForum is therefore asking the Metro to provide evidence, based on metered and billed consumption, that end-user use is currently above normal seasonal levels. The Metro should also disclose how much water was lost through the Garsfontein failure and the Findlay Reservoir contamination incident, and what investigations have established about their causes.

According to Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs, residents should use water responsibly, but they should not be made to carry responsibility for a problem that may be substantially driven by failures within the municipal system. “The Metro reports physical water losses of 35%, more than twice its stated target, yet residents are repeatedly told that they must use less water.”

“Responsibility must follow control. Residents control the taps in their homes. The Metro controls the pipes, reservoirs, pressure management, maintenance and repairs. Before asking residents to do more, the Metro must show the evidence that excessive end-user consumption is actually driving the current crisis.”

AfriForum has written to the Metro requesting this information and a response within five working days.

With the local government elections taking place on 4 November, residents should demand clear and measurable information from the Metro about water consumption, water losses, infrastructure failures and the progress of repairs.