Bronkhorstspruit’s water crisis: The system is on the brink

The Bronkhorstspruit community is not heading towards a water crisis; it is already in the midst of one.

Residents reliant on a municipal water supply face prolonged water outages, and when water is available, many complain about its foul odour and discolouration.

Their laundry gets stained, and the water often smells rancid, raising serious concerns about its safety and quality.

Social media groups often warn consumers not to drink or use the water.

With fears of another protest brewing, community leader, former councillor and long-time resident Cecilia Knox joined the Streeknews on a fact-finding mission to find the root causes of this crisis.

“The current system is barely holding on. Without major interventions, Bronkhorstspruit’s water crisis will spiral out of control,” warned Knox.
Paddy Waller, the director of the Bronkhorstspruit Catchment Management Forum, said curbing pollution would also significantly improve the water in the river.

The community deserves transparency and immediate action – before the taps run dry for good.

This is what we found:

How the water system works
Delivering water to residents starts with abstracting raw water from the Bronkhorstspruit River. The water is then pumped to the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works (BWTW) for purification before being sent to the main reservoir in Zithobeni. From there, it is distributed to three other reservoirs. This system supplies water to:
• Bronkhorstspruit;
• Rethabiseng;
• Zithobeni;
• Thembisile Hani Municipality (Nkangala District);
• Ekangala;
• Ekandustria.

Knox explained the BWTW’s initial design was for a much smaller population. According to a University of the Witwatersrand study, the Bronkhorstspruit urban cluster grew by 50.6% between 2001 and 2011. Despite this rapid population growth, the water infrastructure did not expand accordingly, leading to the current crisis.

Raw water extraction: A failing system
The first major issue in the water supply system is extracting raw water from the river, but insufficient water is abstracted.
Three pumps were initially installed to abstract water from the Bronkhorstspruit River through three blue pipes.

Now, only one pump is operational, working through one remaining pipe. The pump leaks severely and struggles with the workload of three pumps. There is no backup pump.

The situation worsens after heavy rains, which stir up mud and debris, further straining the already struggling pump.

The City of Tshwane has increasingly shut down the water treatment plant because of the deteriorating raw water quality – a problem that has become more frequent in recent years.

Adding to the deteriorating water quality is the blanket of invasive water hyacinth on the river.

The water treatment plant: Another bottleneck
Once raw water reaches the treatment plant, it goes through several stages before it is safe for consumption:
• Screening to remove large debris;
• Coagulation and flocculation, which helps particles clump together;
• Sedimentation that allows heavy particles to settle;
• Filtration with silica sand to remove remaining impurities;
• Disinfection with added chlorine to kill bacteria and viruses

Before the water is ready to be sent to the reservoirs, rigorous lab tests are done to ensure it is fit for human consumption.

A water sample taken at the final stage at this plant proved to the Streeknews that the water leaving the facility is indeed clean and safe.

However, operational failures at this stage further limit water supply. The plant is supposed to pump clean water with five pumps, but only two work, of which one desperately needs maintenance.

The Palesa Mine repaired the third pump motor last year, but the motor has no pump attached, rendering it useless.
Without enough functional pumps, the plant cannot send enough treated water to the reservoirs, causing constant shortages.

• The offices and laboratory have been burgled several times. During the last invasion, thieves stole most of the lab’s electronic devices and equipment. Criminals are so brazen that night staff were robbed and no longer feel safe.

Reservoirs: The final breakdown
The third major issue in the water system is the reservoirs.
• The Zithobeni reservoir, the largest in the system, never gets enough water to meet demand;
• With supply far lower than demand, the reservoir levels drop quickly;
• Any minor disruption, such as rain or a power outage, causes shortages.

When the reservoir levels fall too low, the sediment at the bottom gets pulled into the pipelines, which causes the stinking, dark water residents complain about.

Proper reservoir maintenance requires periodic draining and cleaning, but this does not happen in Bronkhorstspruit.

Draining the Zithobeni reservoir would leave residents without water for an extended period and flood the mushrooming informal settlement at its base.

The bigger picture: A failing infrastructure
The Bronkhorstspruit water crisis is not because of a single failure but rather a cascade of systemic breakdowns:
• Failure to expand water infrastructure alongside population growth;
• Underperforming raw water pumps with no backups;
• Deteriorating treatment plant, with only two working pumps instead of five;
• Reservoirs running dry, causing stained, foul-smelling water.

Without urgent intervention, the crisis will worsen, leaving residents without consistent access to clean water.

What needs to happen now?
Knox and those we met along the way on our fact-finding mission agreed the following needs to happen for the water situation to improve:
• Immediately repair or replace pumps not working;
• Install a backup pump to prevent more disruptions;
• Regularly maintain treatment plants and reservoirs;
• Upgrade long-term infrastructure to keep up with population growth;
• Authorities must improve communication to keep residents informed.

This ongoing situation impacts local economy

“Penny wise, pound foolish.”

This age-old saying perfectly captures Agosi Mdzipa’s frustration with the City of Tshwane’s handling of the failing water system in the greater Bronkhorstspruit area.

Mdzipa, a well-known businessman and community advocate, believes that the money already spent on temporary repairs could have been better used for a long-term solution.

“The amount of money spent on quick fixes and repairs could have been used to buy new pumps,” he said.

The ongoing water shortages have had a significant impact on local businesses, many of which struggle to operate without a consistent water supply.

“Businesses are suffering because they cannot function optimally without water,” Mdzipa explained.

Beyond the economic strain, the water crisis is disrupting daily life in the community.

“Schools are being forced to send learners home because there is no water to flush toilets or wash hands. Even education is being affected,” he added.

Kyle Lovell, a member of Greater Bronkhorstspruit Business Chamber (GBBC) and owner of Argeno Plastics in Bronkhorstspruit, confirmed that the quality of the water has significant impact on businesses as well as in residential areas.

The water crisis most definitely has a financial impact on his business.

“The minute you start the machines the dirt in the water causes problems in the system.”

Lovell explained this is a costly problem, because he has to constantly clean and change filters and always has to have extra filters on hand. Then there is also rust damage to pipes.

“The water outage in December caused some major breakdowns on our machines.”

Lovell said water, or the lack thereof, is also a constant issue in town.

“We are lucky to stay at the dam, but family in town suffers because of not only the quality, but also the long periods stuck without any water in the taps. They can still come to us for help with water, but other residents are not so lucky.”

Streeknews also asked businesses in the Bronkhorstspruit CBD how they are affected. Among these were Pick ‘n Pay.

“At least we have a borehole as back up when there is no municipal water or when the water is dirty. We invested in the borehole about five years ago.”

However, at a neighbouring car wash, Dandré Crafford, said they have not been severely impacted.

“The water is not dirty and we have not had many water interruptions,” Crafford said.

He did however acknowledged the water issues in the residential areas. A water shop in the CBD seems to flourish since clean, purified water has become somewhat of a commodity in this community. A non-stop flow of customers were observed at this store.