23 October 2026
The City of Tshwane has suspended the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works plant manager pending further investigations into the interruption of chlorine supplies that contributed to the ongoing water crisis affecting communities in the area.
The suspension follows a preliminary investigation initiated by the City’s Chief Operations Officer (COO) into the circumstances surrounding the disruption of chlorine supplies, as well as the alleged failure to escalate the associated risks and timeously warn affected residents.
The City has also commissioned an independent external investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the failures, identify administrative shortcomings and determine where responsibility lies.
The investigation will examine procurement, operational, management and communication processes, including whether appropriate controls and escalation procedures were followed.
The City has further committed to cooperating with any investigations conducted by relevant government agencies as efforts to establish accountability continue.
The Executive Mayor said he had accepted overall political responsibility for the City’s response to the crisis, but stressed that administrative accountability was equally important, particularly where residents’ health and safety were concerned.
“Residents deserve to know not only what went wrong, but that there will be consequences where negligence or misconduct is established,” the Mayor said.
He added that the City’s response must go beyond identifying those responsible and result in lasting improvements to prevent similar failures in future. Meanwhile, the City said its immediate priority remained protecting affected communities, maintaining safe alternative water supplies and accelerating the rehabilitation of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works in collaboration with Rand Water.
The investigations are expected to establish how the interruption of chlorine supplies occurred, why the associated risks were not escalated timeously and whether failures in administrative and operational processes contributed to the crisis.
The City said accountability must result in appropriate consequences where warranted, while ensuring that corrective measures strengthen its operations and safeguard residents against a recurrence of the crisis.