There’s no water crisis in Tshwane, here’s what’s really going on

By Mapaballo Borotho

• Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya says the city is not facing a water shortage but struggling with infrastructure failures and water losses.
• She outlined efforts to stabilise supply, including fixing leaks and upgrading systems.
• Her remarks come amid growing concerns over sewage failures and declining performance in the metro.

If you thought there was a water crisis in City of Tshwane, Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya has a different view.

Moya pushed back against claims that the metro is deteriorating and facing a water crisis while addressing the media at the University of South Africa in Pretoria on Thursday, 16 April 2026.

She clarified that the city’s challenge is not a shortage of water supply, but significant water losses caused by ageing infrastructure, leaks and system inefficiencies.

“There’s no lack of bulk supply. The city meets a demand of 800 to 900 million litres per day through a mix of procurement and internal production,” she said.

According to Moya, about 72% of Tshwane’s water is sourced from Rand Water, which supplies over 600 million litres daily, while additional supply comes from Magalies Water. The remaining 28% is produced internally.

Her comments come amid ongoing concerns about water and sanitation in the metro, including a directive giving the city 60 days to fix failing sewage treatment plants.

The 2025 Green Drop Report shows Tshwane’s performance has dropped sharply from 82% in 2013 to below 34%, highlighting serious operational and governance challenges.