Gauteng's water crisis is man-made — municipalities lose up to 70% of clean water
Non-revenue water loss by municipality, as a share of supply | SAHRC Inquiry Report into water and sanitation service delivery in Gauteng, 2026
1.5bn
litres of water lost every day across Gauteng through leaks
R9bn
collectively owed by municipalities to bulk supplier Rand Water
Key SAHRC findings by municipality
Critical failure
Serious concern
Partial / benchmark
Emfuleni
Critical failure
68–70%
water loss
R0 capital budget for water & sanitation for two consecutive years. Department has a 68% vacancy rate. Manager appeared under subpoena after repeated non-responses. Owes approximately R1.9bn to Rand Water. SAHRC: wastewater pollution is an "exceptionally serious and longstanding failure."
Mogale City
Critical failure
>60%
water loss
Green Drop sanitation score of 29.9% — placing it in the critical risk category. Failing Flip Human treatment works is polluting nearby waterways. The Department of Water & Sanitation issued a notice of prosecution for pollution at the Cradle of Humankind.
Rand West City
Critical failure
58%
water loss
No official showed up to the inquiry, defying a subpoena. The commission considered laying criminal charges against the municipal manager. Rand Water carries operational and maintenance responsibilities for its wastewater functions — raising accountability questions.
City of Johannesburg
Serious concern
44.8%
water loss (~R2.82bn/year)
R27bn infrastructure renewal backlog. Sanitation fails the Green Drop audit. Spent R165m on tankers in 2023/24 alone — more than R650m over five years. SAHRC: interventions are "reactive and ad hoc." Questions raised about financial relationship between Johannesburg Water and the city.
Merafong
Serious concern
41%
water loss
Revenue collection rate of just 52.1%. Owes Rand Water approximately R1.5bn, triggering a 40% bulk water restriction. Collapsing wastewater infrastructure, chronic sewer spillages and persistent sinkholes — one major reservoir already affected by sinkhole activity.
City of Tshwane
Serious concern
39%
water loss
R23bn infrastructure backlog and R22.8bn in unauthorised, irregular and wasteful expenditure. Green Drop scores below 34%. Spent R777m on water tankers in 2024/25 alone. Admitted to discharging non-compliant effluent into the Rietvlei river system.
Ekurhuleni
Serious concern
25.4%
water loss (R1.2–1.4bn/year)
Officials claimed 99% household access to water and 91% to sanitation — yet water losses amount to between R1.2bn and R1.4bn annually. Commission criticised inadequate communication during outages and growing reliance on water tankers.
Lesedi
Partial
—
water loss not disclosed
Supplies safe drinking water but its failing Devon treatment works is polluting nearby waterways. Downstream position leaves it exposed to failures outside its control. Owns three in-house tankers and spends approximately R400 000/year on tanker services during disruptions.
Midvaal
Benchmark
Clean
audit — cited as best practice
The SAHRC said Midvaal "should be used as a benchmark" for others. Still faces challenges with ageing pipes and is largely situated on dolomitic land, contributing to sinkholes in some areas. The only municipality to receive unreserved praise from the commission.
Gauteng has enough water — the crisis is entirely man-made, driven by crumbling infrastructure, near-empty maintenance budgets and money diverted to tanker contracts instead of repairs. Emfuleni's two consecutive years of zero capital spending on water and sanitation, and Tshwane's single-year tanker bill that could have funded lasting fixes, illustrate how political and financial failures — not drought — are denying residents a basic right.
Daily Maverick · Source: SAHRC Inquiry Report, Nov 2026
