The City is concerned about false messages being distributed through WhatsApp channels that the city’s tap water is contaminated with typhoid. This is not true and creates unnecessary fear.
The findings from investigations into the surge in laboratory-confirmed typhoid cases indicate that most of these cases were detected in informal and rural settlements. Drinking water samples taken from different points in the affected areas and tested have not established an epidemiological link between the cases. Furthermore, the results have not yet identified the source of contamination, as no Salmonella typhi was detected in any of the drinking water sources.
Some findings from the case investigations have revealed poor hygienic practices, as well as poor water supply and storage, including wells, boreholes, water-storage tanks and household storage containers, particularly in informal house settings.
A total of 34 cases were reported between January and October 2024. While the City is concerned about the slight increase in cases in 2025 compared to 2024, it should be noted that typhoid is an endemic disease in South Africa. This means it is consistently present within certain populations or geographic areas, typically occurring in limited, sporadic or clustered forms.
The City takes these reports seriously and will intensify its investigations, working closely with the Department of Health, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to ascertain the root cause of the increase in these cases.
Routine water quality tests of drinking water continue to be conducted across the City’s network and no detection of Salmonella Typhi has been recorded to date.
The City maintains stringent monitoring and testing protocols to ensure that all treated water supplied to residents complies with the South African National Standard (SANS 241) for drinking water.
The City would like to appeal to communities to refrain from using untreated river or borehole water for domestic purposes, as a precautionary measure. Only piped municipal water that has been properly treated and tested should be used for drinking and cooking.
The City urges all communities to observe hygiene protocols, which include but are not limited to washing their hands with soap and water, and to practise the hygienic and safe storage of water.