eThekwini takes tankers in-house amid scrutiny over soaring water losses
EThekwini Municipality has invested about R345 million in its own water tanker fleet as it moves to end outsourcing of the service. The city currently has 318 operational tankers, with a further 43 expected by the end of the year.
The eThekwini Municipality has announced that it has ended the outsourcing of water tanker services after investing about R345 million to build its own fleet.
The municipality says the move is aimed at strengthening its internal capacity to respond to water shortages, particularly in areas where water infrastructure remains limited. It currently has 318 operational tankers and plans to add another 43 before the end of the year, bringing the fleet to 361.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the decision to bring the service in-house followed concerns about the amount of money being spent on outsourcing the service.
He said the move would also help the municipality address alleged wrongdoing linked to the outsourced service and improve its response to communities experiencing water shortages.
“Water tankers are serving as an interim measure for communities experiencing water shortages while the City continues to upgrade infrastructure and augment water supply across eThekwini," Xaba said.
"After realising that the Municipality was spending significant amounts of money outsourcing this service, we decided to procure our own fleet and employ additional drivers to ensure that the service operates efficiently. This has also helped us curb wrongdoing associated with the outsourcing of this service, following allegations that our water infrastructure was being tampered with.”
Xaba said the expanded fleet would strengthen the municipality’s ability to deliver essential services and reduce response times when communities experience water shortages.
The announcement comes as the Democratic Alliance has criticised the municipality’s handling of water services, pointing to rising water losses and increased spending on water tankers.
DA eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen said the city was losing about 65% of its water by June 2026, compared with 48.9% in 2021. He also claimed that spending on water tankers had increased from R102.6 million to R814.8 million.
Hoosen said the city’s water challenges showed a failure by the ANC-led administration to maintain and improve the municipality’s water infrastructure.
The DA has also called for the suspension of the municipality’s Head of Water and Sanitation, Ednick Msweli, saying the department’s performance should be properly accounted for.
