The Water Sector Anti‑Corruption Forum (WSACF), launched in March 2026, has yet to see any of the investigations it monitors reach a conclusion. According to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), none of the active cases have been finalised, delaying prosecutions and arrests. The SIU’s spokesperson, Selby Makgotho, said progress on the 44 criminal cases under the Hawks’ investigation is reported to the WSACF quarterly. The cases, which involve an estimated total of R3.2 billion, cover procurement irregularities, damage to essential infrastructure and extortion. The SIU also reported two criminal referrals related to the Giyani Water Project and said questions must be sent to the relevant law‑enforcement agency. Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale acknowledged the questions but did not respond. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said, “I am not sure it is possible to respond by your strict deadline. Especially since it’s Friday midday already.” Records show that no criminal arrests or successful prosecutions have been made. During a briefing to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), the SIU raised concerns about the lack of consequence management and the failure of some state institutions to implement its referrals. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) criticised the forum’s silence. Chief executive officer Wayne Duvenhage said, “We don’t see any accountability in all of these that have gone wrong,” adding that the lack of progress was suspicious. South Africa’s municipalities continue to struggle with corruption, which has crippled infrastructure and caused widespread water shortages. The 2026 No Drop Progress Report estimated that the country lost an estimated R26 billion in water and financial mismanagement, leaving millions of residents with dry or contaminated taps. A report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI‑TOC) in partnership with the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) described how criminal syndicates, referred to as “water mafias,” exploit the crisis. The report noted that when shortages occur, intense public pressure forces immediate action, and syndicates deliberately create or exacerbate shortages to secure lucrative municipal water‑supply tenders. It also stated that these groups can convert short‑term emergency tenders into long‑term contracts. The provinces most affected by structural water shortages and criminal “water tanker mafias” are Gauteng, KwaZulu‑Natal, Mpumalanga and the North West. In Johannesburg, criminal groups reportedly sabotage public water infrastructure to profit from emergency tenders. A South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) report found that organised syndicates intentionally damage municipal water infrastructure, including pump stations, valves and pipelines, to create artificial shortages that force communities to rely on private water tankers. The report also highlighted that municipal officials sometimes collude with these mafias, providing information on planned repairs or rigging procurement tenders to secure contracts for specific tanker companies. In KwaZulu‑Natal, this has led to a wave of targeted assassinations of municipal workers, plant managers and community leaders who refuse to award inflated tenders or attempt to repair the pipes. In Gauteng, the Public Protector has launched an investigation into the City of Tshwane over allegations of maladministration, improper conduct and prejudice, following the city’s alleged failure to properly chlorinate the water supply to Bronkhorstspruit residents between September and October 2026. Public Protector spokesperson Oupa Segwale said the office also has a pending national systemic investigation into the water crisis, with a scope that considers all possible root causes of the supply challenges affecting the country. Parliamentary committees and public representatives have raised concerns over systemic enforcement failures, slow prosecutions and growing case backlogs across both the water sector and law enforcement. The SIU’s parliamentary briefing highlighted a push toward financial accountability but also noted lingering delays in consequence management. The SIU revealed it had made roughly 270 to 350 criminal referrals to law‑enforcement agencies, but a significant bottleneck exists within the Hawks and NPA in processing and finalising these dockets into jail time.
Article source: The Independent Online | Image credit: The Independent Online