Water becomes a flashpoint on the 2026 campaign trail in Tshwane

Political campaigning in Tshwane has centred on water this week, as rival parties trade accusations while local farmers and residents raise urgent concerns about sewage, water supply and the impact of past failures.

Billboard sparks a new row

DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink launched a billboard in Hammanskraal urging residents to vote for the DA to get running water instead of from tankers. Brink said that in the first financial year after ActionSA helped remove the DA-led government and handed Tshwane back to the ANC, the city spent R777 million on water tankers.

ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont criticised Brink’s move, calling it a “new low” for unveiling a billboard about water tankers in a community where residents died from cholera in 2023 because of the tender awarded by the DA government to Edwin Sodi.

Deaths and failures linked to long-running problems

The source material reports that “In 2023, 31 residents of Hammanskraal died of cholera arising from the long-standing water crisis that affected the area for nearly 18 years.” The coverage links those deaths to failures to upgrade the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant.

Farmers warn of environmental and economic damage

Hammanskraal farmer Theunis Vogel said operations at the Rooiwal sewage works have “effectively ground to a halt”, with “100% of the sewage still being discharged into the Apies River” and flowing through wetlands toward farmland.

Vogel is quoted saying:

“Farming along the Apies River is no longer viable due to Tshwane’s 11 years of empty promises,”

and asking:

“Why has Gauteng not yet imposed penalties on Tshwane?”

The report also states: “Urgent action has been demanded from the department of water against officials who are failing to comply with court orders regarding maintenance, specifically the failure to clean farmers’ dams, including the Brits dam.“

Campaign noise, farmer concerns and an approaching El Niño

While political parties focus on campaign messaging and mutual criticism, the coverage says farmers remain worried about water supply and the upcoming El Niño season.

What remains clear from the reporting

• Water and sanitation failures have become a central political issue in Tshwane’s campaign.
• Accusations include large spending on water tankers and links to past tenders and public health impacts.
• Local farmers report severe operational failures at the Rooiwal sewage works and discharged sewage affecting the Apies River and nearby farmland.

Reporting in this piece is based solely on the facts presented in the original coverage.