As the government fails to meet this challenge, private water tankers, meant initially to temporarily plug service gaps, have become entrenched fixtures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was meant to be a short-term solution during emergencies has become fertile ground for criminality, with so-called \u201cwater mafias\u201d infiltrating the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has been reported<\/a> that these groups secure municipal contracts through bribery, intimidation, and sabotage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The groups deliberately vandalise infrastructure to extend their contracts, illegally charge residents for water, fill tankers at municipal points to sell water for personal gain, and sometimes contaminate supplies to win future tenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their operations are deeply embedded in local procurement systems. According to Dr Ferrial Adam of WaterCAN, a civil society group promoting water equity, tanker mafias have captured the entire chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes officials who receive kickbacks for tenders and individual tanker drivers who illegally tap into municipal water lines and sell water to impacted communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The water mafia problem is especially severe in provinces like Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Gauteng, South Africa\u2019s economic hub, faces growing water scarcity due to infrastructure delays, corruption, and ballooning population growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The long-postponed completion of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project has also contributed to mounting pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between 2018 and 2023, municipalities in the province spent almost R2.4 billion<\/a> on water tanker contracts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When a cholera outbreak struck the community of Hammanskraal in 2023 due to a contaminated waste treatment plant, residents became dependent on tanker deliveries. A year later, more than a thousand people still relied on tankers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Tshwane official Themba Fosi, some of the city\u2019s infrastructure was being intentionally tampered with, and residents had raised concerns about suspicious activity by tanker drivers at reservoirs and fire hydrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KwaZulu-Natal faces similar issues. Private tanker mafias have flourished in eThekwini, where urban growth has outpaced service delivery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A GroundUp investigation found that in towns like Adams Mission, nearly all residents had bought water from illegal private suppliers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It also found that these mafias charge up to 15 times more than the rates set by the city. In areas where municipal deliveries are absent, a 28,000-litre tanker can reportedly generate more than R1 million in just a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most recently, the Eastern Cape has become the latest hotspot for these criminals. Devastating floods in July 2025 destroyed infrastructure across the province, which displaced thousands and left communities without access to clean water or electricity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Mthatha, part of the hard-hit O.R. Tambo District, the town\u2019s water treatment plant became non-functional, prompting the Department of Health, the South African Police Service, and emergency services to call on the NGO Gift of the Givers for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the organisation\u2019s efforts to deliver clean water were met with threats<\/a> and intimidation from local water mafias. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Gift of the Givers\u2019 Ali Sablay, while their trucks were collecting water from a municipal plant, two vehicles approached and ordered the team to leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The assailants said the team was \u201cnot wanted in the town\u201d and issued threats about what would happen if they returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The brazenness of these groups highlights the growing power and impunity of the water mafias. Their reach now extends into humanitarian efforts, obstructing disaster relief and jeopardising lives for profit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) have sounded the alarm, warning that the country\u2019s water supply is now under sustained and deliberate attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe destructive impact of water mafia groups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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