Most South African Water Authorities Fail Drinking Water or Sewage Standards

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — More than half of South Africa’s water services authorities were rated bad or poor for municipal drinking water quality, or failed to submit required test results, according to a GroundUp analysis of government data published on 30 October, as several gastrointestinal outbreaks this month put water safety in the spotlight.

GroundUp’s analysis, with text by Steve Kretzmann and data by Daniel Steyn, drew on the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS) and the Auditor-General’s report on 2024/25 municipal finances, and presents the results as an interactive map.

What the municipal drinking water quality data show

Of 144 water services authorities, 83, or 58 per cent, were rated bad or poor, or had not submitted mandatory test results to IRIS, the analysis found. Safe drinking water requires faecal bacteria to be undetectable in a 100-millilitre sample, with 10 or fewer total coliform bacteria.

Ten municipalities pass microbiological tests but fail or do not report chemical tests. Langeberg scored 99.6 per cent on microbiology but zero on chemicals that pose acute health risks, and George, Cederberg, Kopanong and Ubuntu also had serious chemical gaps, according to GroundUp. Johannesburg, Polokwane, Mangaung and Kou-Kamma face water shortages ranging from days to years.

The analysis linked the data to recent outbreaks. More than 800 people in Bronkhorstspruit in Tshwane fell ill with gastrointestinal illness this month, and outbreaks also affected Rhodes University in Makhanda and St Albans prison in Nelson Mandela Bay. Initial Department of Water and Sanitation investigations suggest internal distribution systems are to blame in those cases, GroundUp reported, describing Tshwane, Makana and Nelson Mandela Bay as “failing in their constitutional and legal duty to treat and supply clean water”.

Sewage treatment and audits

Wastewater results were worse. Only 18 municipalities meet effluent standards, while 112 of 144, or 78 per cent, fail microbiological standards and 126, or 88 per cent, fail when chemical and physical indicators are included. Seven of eight metropolitan municipalities fail; Ekurhuleni is the exception. The 2023 Hammanskraal cholera outbreak was linked to failures at the Rooiwal works, which affected the Apies River, Leeukraal Dam and the Temba water treatment works.

On finances, only 29 of 257 municipalities, or 15 per cent, achieved clean audits for 2024/25, and no metro did. Metros manage R336 billion, or 54 per cent, of estimated municipal expenditure and serve 46 per cent of households. George and Witzenberg in the Western Cape were the only municipalities meeting all three criteria of wastewater treatment, drinking water quality and a clean audit, although George shows zero compliance for acute-health chemicals in drinking water.

The analysis also compared results by governing party, finding higher rates of clean audits and good drinking water E. coli ratings in councils led by the Democratic Alliance than in those led by the African National Congress or the Inkatha Freedom Party.

The findings matter for health because unsafe water and untreated sewage spread diarrhoeal diseases, typhoid and cholera, and contaminated rivers affect communities downstream that use them for drinking, washing or irrigation. Young children, older people and people with weakened immune systems, including those living with HIV, face the highest risk of severe illness.

Municipal drinking water quality depends on functioning treatment plants, enough chlorine and trained operators, as well as intact pipes that keep sewage out of drinking water. Bronkhorstspruit showed how quickly a lapse in chlorination can make hundreds of people ill.

Chemical safety matters too. Acute-health chemical tests look for substances such as nitrates and certain metals that can harm health quickly at high levels. Municipalities that pass bacterial tests but fail or skip chemical testing may still deliver water that is unsafe for vulnerable groups, including infants fed with formula made from tap water.

Improving municipal drinking water quality will require investment in plants and pipes, but also better management, including reliable chemical supplies, maintenance schedules and accurate reporting to the regulator. The analysis suggests that municipalities with sound financial management are more likely to deliver safe water, linking audit outcomes to public health.

GroundUp said it could not obtain reliable national data on refuse removal, public transport or infrastructure maintenance, and suspects no municipality fully meets its constitutional obligations to residents.

The analysis was published ahead of municipal elections on 4 November, when voters will choose councils responsible for water and sanitation services in their towns and cities.

 

 

Why it matters: Failing water and sewage systems in most municipalities put millions at risk of outbreaks like Bronkhorstspruit, making water a frontline health issue.

 

 

Source: GroundUp (Steve Kretzmann and Daniel Steyn),  October 2026.