In brief
More than 400 people, mostly children under four, fell ill in Pretoria after drinking tap water contaminated with high levels of E. coli. Health officials confirmed 408 cases between 7 and 18 October, spanning five townships east of the capital. The outbreak, caused by water supplied from a local treatment plant, also revealed other pathogens such as norovirus, campylobacter and shigella. Authorities have declared the water unsafe for consumption and deployed tanker trucks to deliver clean water, instructing residents to discard stored water and disinfect containers with bleach. Despite the scale, no deaths have been reported and no cholera bacteria were detected.
Residents in Pretoria have been warned not to drink or cook with tap water after more than 400 people, mostly children under four, reported stomach cramps and diarrhoea over a two‑week period.
The cases, detected between 7 and 18 October, originated in townships east of the capital that receive water from a local treatment facility. Laboratory tests showed high levels of E. coli as well as norovirus, campylobacter, shigella and other stomach‑illness pathogens.
Prior outbreaks have hit the area, including a fatal cholera surge in 2023 and a typhoid cluster in 2025, both linked to poor water purification. Yet this flare‑up showed no cholera bacteria.
Health and water departments issued a joint statement declaring the water unfit for consumption, urging residents to use it only for flushing toilets. Tankers have been dispatched to supply clean drinking water.
Officials advised discarding any previously stored water and disinfecting containers with household bleach. No deaths have been reported so far, and authorities are monitoring the situation closely.
Additional reporting by Pumza Fihlani.
