The City of Tshwane has advised Pretoria central business district (CBD) residents to boil water following microbiological failures detected during quality monitoring at the Findlay Reservoir at the Findley (Fountains) water treatment works.

Tshwane MMC for Health Services Tshegofatso Mashabela issued the public health warning after 14:00 on October 22, advising residents to take precautionary measures until further notice.

In the statement shared on X, Mashabela said the city had detected microbiological failures in the water supply serving the Pretoria CBD.

“As a precautionary measure, residents in the affected areas are advised to boil all water intended for drinking, cooking, food preparation, brushing teeth and other household uses until further notice,” she said.

Opposition calls for metro-wide chlorine audit

The warning follows concerns raised about the metro’s water treatment operations after allegations that drinking water at the Bronkhorstspruit treatment plant had not been chlorinated for several weeks.

The DA has called on the municipality to establish whether similar failures have occurred at other treatment plants across Pretoria, warning that residents need reliable information about the safety of their drinking water.

The party said it had received information alleging that several water treatment plants lacked chlorine. However, it acknowledged that the allegations had not yet been confirmed.

DA Caucus leader Cilliers Brink has demanded that the municipality disclose whether other treatment plants have adequate chlorine supplies, whether water has been properly treated, and whether additional communities may have been exposed to unsafe drinking water.

“We call on Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya to issue a public statement addressing the concerns, supported by verifiable records of chlorine supplies and water quality tests at every treatment plant,” said Brink.

Separately, DA councillor Malcolm Ian de Klerk alerted residents to concerns about the CBD water supply.

The immediate concern remains the microbiological failures identified in the Findlay Reservoir supply and the potential implications for residents who rely on it for daily household needs.

Residents in affected areas must follow the metro’s boil-water advisory until the municipality issues further notice.

Water intended for drinking, cooking, food preparation and brushing teeth should be boiled as directed by the health warning.

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