City of Tshwane lifts boil-water advisory for Pretoria residents

The City of Tshwane has lifted the boil-water advisory for Pretoria Central, Arcadia, Sunnyside, Marabastad, and surrounding areas. Microbiological testing at the Findlay Reservoir confirmed that the tap water is safe for consumption, with no traces of E. coli or total coliform bacteria detected.

The contamination was linked to a broken municipal sewer pipe in the Groenkloof Nature Reserve, which spilled raw sewage into the Apies River and contaminated the groundwater feeding the Findlay water treatment works. To manage the crisis, the city switched the affected areas to an alternative bulk supply from Rand Water and performed a chlorine shock treatment on the Findlay Reservoir.

Mayor Nasiphi Moya apologized for delays in communicating the initial advisory, describing the lack of timely warning as “unacceptable.” An independent investigation has been launched to examine potential administrative negligence, particularly following a separate incident in Bronkhorstspruit where it was discovered that water chlorination had ceased for three weeks.