The City of Tshwane spent a staggering R777 million on water tankers in the financial year ending June 2025, a figure that dwarfs the R140 million spent the previous year and represents a more than tenfold overshoot of its initial R70 million budget. The exorbitant expenditure has intensified concerns over the growing reliance on private water tankers and the alleged emergence of a “water tanker mafia” profiting from municipal service failures.
The massive overspend was revealed in a recent news article and has since prompted fierce criticism from activists and political parties. Water and Climate Justice activist, Dr. Ferrial Adam, labeled the situation “ridiculous” and indicative of a systemic failure.
“This shows how bad the water tank monopoly and mafia has become,” Dr. Adam stated in a televised interview. “If you think about that R777 million, that is 50% of Johannesburg Water’s budget for capital expenditure. You can imagine what they could have done in terms of fixing infrastructure.”
The conversation highlighted that the problem is not unique to Tshwane, with similar issues reported in Johannesburg, Durban, Mpumalanga, and the North West province, where the national minister has previously warned of “water mafias.”
Dr. Adam detailed multiple layers of the crisis, alleging a lack of transparency in tender processes and potential criminality. She pointed to a Johannesburg tender worth R236 million that was allegedly awarded to “two 20-something-year-olds who had no water tanks to their names.”
Beyond the financial cost, Dr. Adam raised serious health and social concerns. She stated that the safety and cleanliness of the water in the tankers are not consistently regulated or tested, posing a public health risk. Furthermore, she highlighted the secondary burden on vulnerable communities.
“The other thing that’s happening is the cost of elderly women having to use their SASSA grants to get young people to carry their buckets from the tankers to their homes,” she explained. “Those are the kinds of costs we’re seeing.”
The activist argued that the R777 million could have made a significant impact if directed toward permanent infrastructure, rather than a temporary and costly stopgap. She noted that South Africa loses approximately 47% of its treated water through leaks and system failures, a core issue that tanker services do not address.
In response to the escalating situation, Dr. Adam called for the resignation of Tshwane’s mayor, stating, “If the buck does not stop with someone, this kind of nonsense will continue.” She also announced that civil society groups are planning a national protest for November 1st to demand accountability for water system failures.
Calls for greater transparency were central to her recommendations. Dr. Adam urged every municipality using water tankers to publicly list on their websites the companies hired, the number of tanks contracted, and the costs involved.
“Right now, you’re playing around with people’s lives,” she said. “Can we have that information?”
The revelations have cast a harsh light on municipal procurement systems and oversight, with questions raised about how such a massive budget overrun could occur without immediate intervention from internal auditors or National Treasury. Dr. Adam concluded that beyond financial reprimands, there must be criminal investigations into the expenditure.
“The AG’s office, National Treasury need to not just say, ‘Oh, the money’s overspent.’… No, there has to be some criminal charges laid here,” she asserted.