Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has urged residents of Bronkhorstspruit to wash their hands frequently, despite the severe water shortages affecting the area following the decommissioning of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works (BWTW).
The plant operated without chlorination from 24 September to 14 October 2026 due to supply issues. The unchlorinated water mixed with sewage pollution from failing upstream wastewater infrastructure, resulting in extremely high levels of E. coli and total coliforms.
More than 800 people, many of them young children under the age of four, have suffered from gastrointestinal illnesses linked to the contamination.
Majodina said hygiene must remain a priority for the people of Bronkhorstspruit.
“We want to go back to the era of COVID, when we took hygiene very seriously, because it has everything to do with our health. This is particularly important now that we are facing El Niño and these heatwaves, which will also affect water supplies. Our water is also going to evaporate, which is why we are concerned about the overconsumption of water in Gauteng in particular.
“With the Deputy President’s visit today, we are happy that the hospital is hands-on in treating those who are referred for hospital treatment by clinics,” she said.
Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya supported Majodina’s call for improved hygiene and assured residents that the City of Tshwane would deploy water tankers regularly.
Monday’s assessment was led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to head the task team coordinating the government’s response to localised water shortages and water-related illnesses.