JOHANNESBURG – 7 December 2025: The Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus in the City of Johannesburg has formally called on three national departments to launch an urgent, coordinated investigation into the metro’s growing water crisis and its escalating reliance on water tankers.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Velinkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, and Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, DA Caucus Leader Cllr Belinda Echeozonjoku detailed serious concerns regarding Johannesburg’s alleged failure to secure water-infrastructure grants and the rapid increase in expenditure on water tankers since 2023.
According to the DA, the City and Johannesburg Water have not adequately disclosed whether they applied for available water-infrastructure grants, how funds were used, or why tankers have increasingly become a semi-permanent water supply mechanism rather than an emergency measure. The DA argues that this lack of transparency persists despite repeated oversight inquiries.
Concerns Raised by the DA
The letter highlights several critical issues affecting Johannesburg’s water system:
- Sharp increase in water outages linked to deteriorating infrastructure.
- Surging expenditure on water tankers, which the DA fears may financially benefit a select group of contractors.
- Possible failure by the City to apply for or properly utilise national water-infrastructure grants, including MIG, WSIG and RBIG.
- Billions in unpaid water debt owed by government departments and SOEs, which undermines Johannesburg Water’s financial stability. Letter_to_Ministers_of_COGTA_Wa…
What the DA Wants Investigated
The DA requests national intervention to determine:
- Whether Johannesburg applied for all relevant water-infrastructure grants over the past decade.
- Whether the metro failed to secure or properly spend those grants.
- Reasons behind the growing dependence on water tankers since 2023, including procurement and expenditure patterns.
- The impact of unpaid government water accounts on the metro’s infrastructure capacity.
Call for National Oversight and Corrective Measures
The DA has asked National Treasury, COGTA, and Water and Sanitation to:
- Conduct a full review of the City’s grant applications and allocations for the past 10 years.
- Launch a focused audit into tanker procurement, spending, and contract management.
- Develop a coordinated strategy to restore Johannesburg’s permanent water infrastructure.
- Implement an enforceable plan to recover outstanding water debt owed by national and provincial entities.
The letter warns that Johannesburg’s ongoing dependence on tankers may infringe on residents’ constitutional right to access water, placing the City in potential violation of Section 27 of the Constitution. The DA has requested a formal response from national government within 14 days.
