SAHRC blows the whistle on corrupt water tanker mafias - IOL
Emergency water tankers deliver supplies to communities affected by water shortages. The SAHRC has warned that tankering can create opportunities for corruption.
The water tanker mafias allegedly exploit municipal water shortages through systemic corruption and the deliberate sabotage of essential water infrastructure. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), has warned that emergency water tankering has turned into a “breeding ground for corruption and profiteering”. To confront this issue, the commission met with Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia to raise urgent awareness of the widespread sabotage, vandalism, and theft of municipal water supply systems across the country.
According to civil society organisation, Corruption Watch, the most frequent water-related corruption cases involve procurement flaws such as rigged water tanker tenders, political interference in water services, and local malfeasance, such as incorrect meter readings, trucks skipping assigned routes, and citizens or cartels tampering with public taps and reservoirs.
In June 2025, the SAHRC released a policy brief to tackle ‘water mafias’ and the systemic sabotage of essential water infrastructure.
The policy brief details the widespread sabotage of critical water infrastructure, emphasising its severe public and economic consequences. It identifies existing legislative and policy tools that the state can leverage to counter this issue. Aiming to mobilise law enforcement and government bodies at all levels, the brief calls for decisive action using these mechanisms to eliminate water infrastructure sabotage, alongside offering several key advisory recommendations.
At a recent webinar, SAHRC Commissioner Dr Henk Boshoff expressed concern that emergency water tankering is used when there are water supply challenges within municipalities and water service authorities’ areas of jurisdiction.
"Unfortunately, it’s becoming the breeding ground for corruption and profiteering.
“In our view, that it is the reason for the emergence of sabotage, vandalism, and theft of municipal infrastructure is to benefit individuals—municipal employees, service providers, even municipal councillors—to gain economically, to gain financially from the procurement of water tankering,” Boshoff explained.
“Unfortunately, the majority of the recipients, or the people who are supposed to benefit from the water provision, are not receiving the water, and many, many people—service providers, municipal employees, municipal councillors—benefit financially.”
Boshoff added that the SAHRC released a detailed policy brief on water tankering and the emergence of mafias and sabotage of water infrastructure. The policy brief was presented to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
They recently met Cachalia and made him aware of the challenges regarding sabotage, vandalism, and the theft of municipal infrastructure.
Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation chairperson Leonard Basson stressed the importance of eliminating water tankers and only using them when necessary.
He said they must end corruption where infrastructure is deliberately vandalised to profit from water tankers, a critical issue that requires urgent attention.
“I think we, as a committee, will also in future have a discussion with the department (DWS) and with Cogta (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs), whereby we would rather buy emergency tankers for municipalities so that they can deliver that service and not use contractors,” Basson said.
Earlier this year, Cachalia said: “The South African Police Service (SAPS) is aware of networks of so-called water mafias throughout the Republic, which control companies providing water tankers to municipalities during disruptions in water supply to communities, and that such networks are allegedly frequently linked to corrupt relationships with local authorities.”
He mentioned that the Priority Committee on Infrastructure was being established with six different legs to be addressed, including water infrastructure. It is a multi-disciplinary team which includes external stakeholders such as municipalities, the National Prosecuting Authority, the DWS, etc.
Cachalia added that investigative capacity has been established in all provinces, with monthly meetings conducted at the provincial level where feedback on investigations is provided. When a case is reported, an investigating officer is appointed, and an investigation is conducted with the aim of identifying, arresting, and successfully prosecuting the perpetrator, he said.
