Residents near Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, have been told not to drink or cook with tap water after more than 400 people, most of them children under four, became ill. Officials said the illnesses were recorded in Tshwane, the municipality that includes Pretoria, after people sought treatment at local hospitals with stomach cramps and diarrhoea over two weeks.
No deaths have been reported, but high levels of E. coli were found in the water.
Tshwane’s record of waterborne outbreaks
Tshwane has experienced several waterborne outbreaks in recent years. In 2023, a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, a township just outside Pretoria, killed 29 people and was linked to poor water purification practices.
In 2025, officials confirmed 48 typhoid cases in the same area east of Pretoria, though the source of that outbreak remains unclear. No cholera bacteria has been found in the latest cases.
Joint statement points to a treatment facility
The departments of water and health said in a joint statement on Monday that 408 cases had been detected between 7 and 18 October across about five townships. Laboratory tests indicated the illness was caused by residents being exposed to contaminated water from a local treatment facility serving several communities east of Pretoria.
Samples contained norovirus, campylobacter, shigella and other pathogens, officials said, including the following:
- Norovirus
- Campylobacter
- Shigella
- Other pathogens that cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea
Early investigations found that local authorities had not warned residents about the contamination.
Water declared unfit and tankers sent out
The supply has been declared unfit for human consumption, and residents have been urged to use it only for flushing toilets. Tankers have been sent to deliver clean drinking water.
Officials advised households to throw away any water already stored and to disinfect containers with household bleach.
