South Africa’s water mafia going after R2.3 billion target

Amid widespread water outages across the country, South Africa is spending an estimated R2.3 billion on water tankers, which are being used as a substitute for reliable infrastructure.

To make matters worse, there have been reports of criminals tampering with South Africa’s water systems to create demand for tankers, which they will then supply.

These criminal groups have been labelled the “water mafia” and have been prevalent in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) recently flagged this problem in a press statement.

This came after the committee received a briefing from the Office of the Auditor-General on its audits of the water sector.

In its statement, the committee flagged South Africa’s growing reliance on water tankers amid persistent water disruptions. 

It noted that expenditure on water tankers is estimated at R2.3 billion, warning that water tankers are increasingly being used as a substitute for reliable infrastructure.

These tankers are intended as a short-term emergency intervention but are increasingly being used to make up for South Africa’s infrastructure failures.

“Some members noted allegations of tampering with water systems to create demand for tankers. These allegations require focused attention,” the committee said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also noted this growing problem in 2025, having told the National Water and Sanitation Indaba that criminal syndicates have infiltrated parts of the water supply in South Africa.

The water mafia first emerged in the supply of water tankers to communities and municipalities hit by water shortages, but has since become far more sophisticated and brazen.

A 2025 report from the New Lines Institute explained that these mafias have effectively exploited existing forms of corruption within the government.

For example, it said national-scale projects aimed at improving water infrastructure are vulnerable to corruption and fraud.

However, aside from the corruption already present in some of these programmes, their failure to improve water supply has led to increased demand for private water tankers.

Profiting from a crisis

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Isaac Seitlholo, previously explained that water tankering has become an extremely lucrative business in recent years.

He said some municipal officials and politicians were involved in shutting off water valves to create artificial demand for water tankers, which were then supplied at inflated costs.

However, other instances of sabotage go far beyond shutting off valves, with some individuals also stealing parts that could be used to repair broken infrastructure.

Criminal syndicates also target electrical cables and equipment to ensure that pumping stations cannot function for extended periods of time.

These acts often lead to contracts for water tankers being extended, with the individuals responsible for the failures profiting by supplying water and other services at inflated prices.

Concerningly, while the mafia had been most prevalent in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, it has now started to spread to other parts of the country.

Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality mayor Khumalo Molefe said late last year that the water mafia has spread to the North West.

He explained that criminal syndicates are exacerbating existing infrastructure challenges.

Molefe’s comments were made after reports emerged that 12 men accosted security at a nearby reservoir before tying them up so they could steal cabling from the pumphouse.

This sabotage led to wards throughout the municipality experiencing water shortages and a loss of pressure as the pumps could not operate.

“We are a semi-arid district with little rainfall. An incident like this means we are down on our knees,” Molefe said. 

“We are severely financially affected by these acts of vandalism and sabotage conducted with impunity, which are not isolated incidents.”

“I can say it without doubt that, in this district, we are up against a syndicate that is well-equipped, well-armed, and well-funded.”