Urgent co-ordination between state institutions is needed to tackle severe water quality problems in Bronkhorstspruit, said Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

Mashatile made the remarks during an oversight visit to the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works and Bronkhorstspruit District Hospital on October 26, accompanied by Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and other government officials.

The visit, undertaken in his capacity as chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water and Sanitation, assessed interventions to address water quality concerns and reports of gastrointestinal illness affecting residents.

Mashatile expressed concern about private water tankers operating in the area without verified information about their water sources.

”We are quite concerned about private suppliers of water with water tankers because we do not know where they get that water from,” he said. ”So, there will be an intervention to check those. But the city is supplying water in the meantime, so nobody will go without water while this plant is being attended to.”

The metro confirmed that sufficient chlorine is now available to treat the water, with Rand Water technicians already using it as part of the treatment process. Rand Water has been appointed by the metro as the water restoration agent.

Four pumps have been installed as part of the first phase of interventions at the treatment works.

However, full operations will resume only after the necessary cleaning, backwashing and water quality testing are complete.

No timeline has been provided for when residents can expect their water supply to return to normal.

The metro continues to supply affected communities with water from 26 tankers while technical interventions proceed.

Illness spreads among young children

During the visit, Majodina reported that 833 people have sought medical attention for gastrointestinal symptoms, including 328 children aged 0 to 4 years.

Twenty-seven cases had been reported in the 24 hours preceding the visit, while three patients remained admitted to hospital.

Majodina said that she was satisfied with the treatment being provided to patients at the hospital.

The authorities have urged residents to follow official water safety advisories and avoid consuming potentially contaminated stored water or water from unverified sources.

Moya said the metro was strengthening oversight of water distribution and monitoring progress on interventions aimed at restoring the supply.

”We expect the Rand Water programme to deliver measurable improvements within the coming weeks, with progress closely monitored to ensure that the necessary work is completed,” Moya said.

She has also called on independent private water tanker operators assisting affected communities to present their vehicles at the Commando Building in Bronkhorstspruit for verification, authorisation and water quality testing by environmental health practitioners.

The metro police will conduct compliance checks and escort private water tankers to establish where they source their water.

Operators distributing water without authorisation will be required to stop until they have completed the verification process.

The metro said the measures were precautionary and did not mean that contamination had been detected in privately supplied water.

Testing and relief operations

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo emphasised the importance of co-operation between national, provincial and local government, saying all involved institutions had to fulfil their responsibilities and account for progress.

He pointed out that the Department of Water and Sanitation is also auditing water treatment works across Gauteng to assess their operational condition and maintenance requirements.

Majodina identified ageing infrastructure, water losses, inadequate maintenance and municipal financial constraints as challenges requiring improved planning, investment and oversight.

Gift of the Givers was acknowledged for supplying water to the local hospital, while the organisation is also delivering bottled water, disinfectants and water dispensers to Bronkhorstspruit to combat the water contamination crisis.

The relief efforts primarily target healthcare facilities and vulnerable neighbourhoods. Key interventions include donating more than 3 400 bottles of water to Bronkhorstspruit Hospital and supporting local clinics, daycare centres and schools. Assistance is focused on highly affected areas like Zithobeni, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi.

Support for their ongoing crisis response is available at giftofthegivers.org.

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