LISTEN | Gauteng municipalities’ reliance of water trucks is becoming too costly

More than R314m has been spent by Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni on outsourced water tanker services over the past three financial years.

As Gauteng faces water infrastructure maintenance later this month and in July, more water trucking services could be procured.

The ballooning costs have raised alarm in the Gauteng government, with MEC for infrastructure development, cooperative governance and traditional affairs Jacob Mamabolo warning that continued reliance on private tanker contractors is becoming financially unsustainable.

The spending comes amid recurring water outages across Gauteng communities, where residents in informal settlements and areas affected by infrastructure failures increasingly depend on water tankers for daily survival.

Joburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said the city spent R130.5m on tanker services during the 2024/25 financial year and a further R93.8m in the 2025/26 financial year up to January.

“The expenditure forms part of operational expenditure and is based on an ‘as and when required’ service model,” he said. “It is important to note that Johannesburg Water only pays for tanker services utilised, based on an ‘as and when required’ arrangement.

"Water tankers are deployed as an interim measure in areas affected by planned and unplanned water supply interruptions."

Modingoane said the city has procured 20 municipal-owned water tankers, with plans for further acquisitions as part of a phased insourcing approach.

“Johannesburg Water [is] strengthening internal capacity through the acquisition of municipal-owned tankers. The pace of implementation remains dependent on budget availability over the coming years and operational requirements,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the city spent R34.2m in 2023/24, R35.1m in 2024/25, and more than R20.6m on water tanker services so far in the current financial year.

Mamabolo recently revealed that some municipalities in Gauteng had collectively spent as much as R264m over three years on water tanker services.

Tshwane said it has reduced its spending by 79% and has so far paid R126.7m for trucking water into areas like Hammanskraal, Rooiwal, Sokhulumi and parts of Bronkhorspruit.

While acknowledging the importance of water tankers during supply disruptions, Mamabolo said municipalities needed to urgently build internal capacity instead of depending heavily on outsourcing.

“We are encouraged by the investments some municipalities are already making towards procuring their own portable water tankers,” he said.

Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni both said they were taking steps to reduce reliance on private service providers by expanding their own tanker fleets.

Dlamini said Ekurhuleni currently owns 11 municipal water tankers and intends adding five more in the next financial year, with long-term plans aimed at fully insourcing the service.

“The city undertakes water reticulation installation at informal settlements based on budget availability and has a yearly KPI [key performance indicator] of installing more than 100 at informal settlements to reduce [the need for] water tankers,” he said.

Tshwane has a fleet of 35 water tankers.

South African Human Rights Commission commissioner Dr Henk Boshoff has warned that organised syndicates are sabotaging municipal water infrastructure to keep SA dependent on the booming water tanker industry.

“We have heard testimonies in the Free State, the Northern Cape and the North West,” he said. “This is definitely happening. It is a fact that service providers and organised syndicates are colluding with municipal employees and municipal councillors. This must be brought to an end.”

Boshoff also cast doubt on Johannesburg Water’s plans to phase out tanker dependence within 12 to 18 months, arguing that sabotage would continue as long as syndicates profited from the system.

Water activist Dr Ferrial Adam from the WaterCAN NGO said growing reliance on tankers was diverting resources away from fixing collapsing infrastructure. The NGO is a national initiative dedicated to safeguarding SA’s water resources through citizen-driven action.

“The more money municipalities spend on water tankers, the less money and effort there is to fix infrastructure,” Adam said. “In some parts of the country, yes, that sabotage is definitely happening.”