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Issued by Daniela Ellerbeck on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation on 20/10/2026
The FW de Klerk Foundation is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of residents in Bronkhorstspruit and surrounding communities, amongst them many young children, have fallen ill and require medical attention after being exposed to contaminated water.
While first and foremost a public health crisis, what is unfolding in Bronkhorstspruit is also a matter of constitutional concern. When contaminated water reaches homes and residents become ill, the constitutional rights to water, human dignity and an environment that is not harmful are directly affected.
The Constitution guarantees everyone the right of access to sufficient water and requires municipalities to promote a safe and healthy environment. It also requires that public administration be accountable and that the government must be accountable, responsive and open.
The facts emerging from Bronkhorstspruit suggest possible failures not only in the treatment of water and the maintenance of critical water infrastructure but also a failure by the authorities to communicate possible risks to residents and the community.. Importantly, it needs to be pointed out that this crisis was both foreseeable and avoidable. In December 2025, the Auditor-General told Parliament that it found that 46% of drinking water systems failed microbiological safety standards, 44% failed chemical safety standards and 99% of wastewater treatment works failed at least one effluent quality standard. The report also found that infrastructure projects were delayed by an average of 32 months and that 96% of Water Service Authorities failed to meet maintenance norms. These findings led Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation to describe the state of the sector as deeply concerning and unacceptable.
Bronkhorstspruit should not be viewed as an isolated incident but as a warning of deeper systemic weaknesses in South Africa’s water governance. The Foundation urges all spheres of government to ensure full transparency regarding the causes of the contamination, to hold those responsible accountable where wrongdoing or negligence is established, and to implement the institutional and infrastructure reforms necessary to safeguard the constitutional rights of all South Africans. Access to safe and reliable drinking water is not a privilege, but a constitutional imperative.
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