One water leak cost South African taxpayers R5 million

Jack Bloom, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, said that a three-year leak at the  Dan Pienaarville Reservoir wasted 300 million litres of water, worth R5 million.

After working for three weeks through the relevant channels, he was able to get the leak fixed. However, it raises the question of why it was not done sooner.

Bloom shared this information in a social media post and in an interview with The Truth Report podcast.

In the post and interview, he bemoaned how challenging it is to fix a leaking tap in South Africa, which is a basic task which most people can do.

“When I visited a leaking tap at the Krugersdorp Taxi Rank on 8 July 2026, I was told it had been leaking since September 2025,” he said.

He explained that this tap could easily be fixed with materials costing about R100, but that it had been left leaking for a year.

“I wrote to the Mogale City Mayor, Lucky Sele, about several major leaks and included the leaking tap as well, but it still wasn’t fixed,” Bloom said.

On 17 July 2026, he posted on X that he would pay for the parts and that a local plumber had agreed to fix it for free.

“I asked the Mayor on his X account to arrange permission to repair the municipal infrastructure. His only response was a sarcastic remark on Facebook,” Bloom said.

Bloom had some success through his actions, including getting a leak that threatened the jobs of hundreds of workers at the Pratley Putty factory fixed.

However, many other leaks continue, including the leaking tap at the Krugersdorp Taxi Rank.

“It is now more than 8 weeks since I first informed Mogale City about the leaking taxi-rank tap,” Bloom said.

Mogale City has a 67% non-revenue water rate

The Deputy Minister said that the situation is disappointing, as no leak is too small to be addressed promptly.

“A leaking tap in your house could fill four geysers every month and cost an extra R600 on your monthly bill. The hundreds of other small leaks all add up,” he said.

Bloom said that Mogale City, where the Krugersdorp Taxi Rank leaking tap and Dan Pienaarville Reservoir are based, has a 67% non-revenue water rate.

A non-revenue water rate is the percentage of treated water that a utility produces and pumps into a distribution network but never bills for or collects payment for.

Most of this water is lost through leaks, which is partly because of the problems which Bloom described.

Last year, non-revenue water amounted to R117 million in Mogale City, showing the extent of the problem.

“Officials complain about poor supply chain management, which creates endless delays in getting parts to fix broken municipal pipes,” he said.

He said that people are justifiably angry when told to use water sparingly while they see gushing water in the streets.

“They are even more cynical when they suffer long water cut-offs, and they have to chase water tankers,” he said.

He urged Gauteng municipalities to get serious about fixing the leaks, both small and large.

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Photos about water problems highlighted by Jack Bloom

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