Tshwane is Bleeding Billions in Water and Power Losses, AG Finds

Tshwane lost nearly R3.6 billion in a single year through water leaks and electricity losses, while its sewage plants are operating well beyond their design limits and officials cannot prove whether key service targets are being met.

The auditor-general’s latest report, covering the period of June 2024 to July 2025, shows a metro under severe pressure, with failing infrastructure, unreliable performance reporting, and growing risks for residents who ultimately pay the price through outages, pollution, and rising bills.

According to the report, Tshwane’s water system is operating with far less spare capacity than planned. The city aimed to keep 45% of its water treatment capacity unused as a safety buffer, but reported only 37%. At the same time, wastewater treatment plants are operating well beyond their design limits, with capacity overused by 22%, more than double the city’s own target. In practical terms, this means sewage plants are overloaded, raising the risk of spills, river pollution, and environmental damage.

These capacity pressures are made worse by massive losses across both systems. The auditor-general found that Tshwane lost water worth about R1.7 billion in a single year, with nearly 40% of all water purchased never generating revenue due to leaking pipes, bursts, and failing infrastructure. Electricity losses were even higher in rand terms, at about R1.87 billion, equal to 21% of all electricity bought by the city. Put simply, one in every five units of electricity purchased by the city from Eskom was never paid for by consumers who have used it.

What is especially concerning is the nature of these electricity losses. About two-thirds are non-technical losses caused by theft, illegal connections, meter tampering, faulty meters and billing failures. These are not engineering problems but failures of governance, control, and enforcement.

The auditor-general also found that Tshwane could not reliably prove how well it was inspecting industries that discharge wastewater into the sewer system. Although the city reported inspecting 87% of such industries against a target of 92%, it could not provide sufficient evidence to support even that lower figure. Weak control over industrial wastewater further strains already overloaded treatment plants and increases pollution risks.

Perhaps most troubling, the auditor-general could not confirm whether many of Tshwane’s reported performance results are accurate at all. For key indicators such as water treatment capacity, wastewater capacity, and leakage levels, the city could not provide adequate evidence showing how figures were calculated or whether targets were met. The city also removed a nationally agreed indicator that measures how much planned maintenance is actually carried out, citing system limitations. As a result, residents and councillors no longer have a clear view of whether essential maintenance is being done.

The contrast with a well-managed metro such as Cape Town is stark. Cape Town typically keeps electricity losses below 10% and water losses well under 20%, supported by strong meter management, firm action against theft, and consistent maintenance. Its treatment plants operate within design limits and its performance data is reliable and comparable from year to year.

With local government elections approaching, the auditor-general’s findings land at a bad time for the coalition currently governing Tshwane. Chronic water losses, electricity theft, and overloaded sewage plants are not technical glitches but failures that shape daily life through outages, pollution and rising bills. The city is clearly struggling to deliver basic services, and residents will soon have an opportunity to decide whether continued mismanagement should be rewarded or corrected at the ballot box.