<\/p>\n
The City of Johannesburg has spent more than R650 million on water tankers over the past five years, but who the money went to remains unknown to the public.<\/p>\n
Last month, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) inquiry into the Gauteng water crisis flagged \u201cserious concerns\u201d about the proliferation of water tankers.<\/p>\n
AmaBhungane has reported how two companies \u2013 Builtpro Construction and Nutinox \u2013 were awarded a R263 million tanker contract in 2024, which was deemed invalid by the high court in December 2025.<\/p>\n
The companies appear to still be providing the services while the judgment is being appealed.<\/p>\n
Read\/listen:<\/p>\n
But Johannesburg Water has refused to provide GroundUp with any additional information on new tenders that have been awarded, or whether any other companies have provided services or sold water tankering equipment.<\/p>\n
Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala told us to send a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application. There is no reason why a Paia application should be required for information on public expenditure.<\/p>\n
\nHow public money is spent should almost always be publicly accessible.<\/p>\n
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Dr Ferrial Adam, executive manager of WaterCAN, has expressed serious concern over \u201ca lack of transparency\u201d in Johannesburg\u2019s sprawling water tankering system, which, on average, takes up about 10% of Johannesburg Water\u2019s annual capital budget (R132 million spent in 2024\/25 off a R1.2 billion capital budget).<\/p>\n
\nAdam said that the system\u2019s secrecy creates room for mismanagement and corruption.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In the 2024\/25 Johannesburg Water annual report, R817 000 was identified as irregular because tankering services were rendered without an official purchase order after funds were depleted.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Joburg protesters call for end to water crisis<\/div>\nMidrand residents protest massive water outage<\/div>\nJoburg sewerage treatment fails Green Drop assessment<\/div>\nIn May, SAHRC inquiry evidence leader Advocate Afika Nqeto characterised this spending as a \u201ccostly and unsustainable substitute\u201d for long-term planning and the maintenance of a water system with a R27 billion backlog of infrastructure that needs to be upgraded.<\/p>\n
Speaking to GroundUp, SAHRC Commissioner Dr Henk Boshoff said South Africa\u2019s growing reliance on water tankers is a systemic problem driven by corruption, financial mismanagement and theft rather than service delivery failures.<\/p>\n
Following investigations into water authorities across the country, he said that the scale of tankering is far worse than expected, with evidence suggesting infrastructure is sometimes deliberately sabotaged to create demand for tanker contracts that benefit officials, councillors and service providers.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt is a brazen form of financial mismanagement [and] corruption\u201d that has turned a temporary emergency measure into an exploitative business, he said.<\/p>\n
\nBoshoff argues that tanker dependence reflects municipal failure, with vast sums spent on emergency supply while infrastructure maintenance is neglected.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
He attributes the crisis to \u201cweak accountability, poor leadership and a shortage of skilled municipal officials\u201d.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Fixing SA\u2019s water woes means curtailing municipalities\u2019 free-spending ways<\/div>\nSA Human Rights Commission calls for submissions on Gauteng water crisis<\/div>\nAt the SAHRC inquiry, Johannesburg Water managing director Ntshavheni Mukwevho said the city currently uses about 60 tankers daily, mainly from third-party service providers, primarily to supply informal settlements.<\/p>\n
Mukwevho said they have committed to phasing out external providers within 12 to 18 months, noting that Johannesburg Water has acquired 20 branded tankers and ordered an additional 20, which are expected by the end of June 2026.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#City #Joburg #wont #water #tanker #suppliers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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