City of Tshwane Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya is under growing political fire over the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis, after it emerged that water from the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works was supplied without chlorination for three weeks while residents were not specifically warned that it was unsafe.
A government investigation found the plant went without chlorination from 24 September to 14 October 2026.
According to government, 408 cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported between 7 and 18 October in Bronkhorstspruit, Zithobeni, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi, with most patients younger than four years old. No deaths had been reported by 19 October.
The admission that untreated water was pumped to households has triggered a wave of criminal complaints against the City.
The DA announced on 19 October that it had opened a criminal case at Pretoria Central police station over the municipality’s handling of water safety, demanding the immediate release of water-quality test results and a forensic investigation into municipal spending on water tankers.
On Tuesday, the EFF escalated pressure, announcing that its Treasurer-General and Tshwane mayoral candidate Omphile Maotwe would open a criminal case against Moya and the City Manager at Bronkhorstspruit Police Station over the failure to chlorinate water. Whether the case had been formally registered could not be confirmed at the time of writing.
Moya has rejected claims made by former Tshwane mayor and DA mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink that she used the crisis for political gain, and disputed his claims around water-tanker expenditure. She said cholera had not been identified as the cause of the illnesses.
But with the City having conceded the 21-day chlorination failure, opposition parties argue that negligence has already been established and that accountability must follow.
