News24 | At least 408 gastrointestinal illness cases linked to contaminated Tshwane water supply

At least 408 people, the majority of them children under four years old, have fallen ill with gastrointestinal disease after being exposed to contaminated water from the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works.

Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo

At least 408 people, the majority of them children under four years old, have fallen ill with gastrointestinal disease after being exposed to contaminated water from the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment works (BWTW), which was not chlorinated for three weeks.

The cases, reported between 7 and 18 October 2026, span the communities of Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi in Tshwane’s Region 7.

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, who delivered a joint statement on Monday on behalf of the departments of water and sanitation and health, the Gauteng government, and the City of Tshwane, said laboratory tests had linked the illnesses to the water supply.

“Laboratory test results of stool specimens from infected patients by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases [NICD], coupled with test results of water emanating from the BWTW, indicate that the illness has been caused by residents being exposed to contaminated water from the BWTW,” Majodina said.

“The NICD tests detected norovirus, campylobacter and shigella in three of four specimens analysed, together with other pathogens that cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea. No cholera bacteria were found in the sampled stools.”