Reports of typhoid infections in South Africa’s capital city, Tshwane, last week triggered public alarm – and a slow response from the City. Officials only issued a statement days later, saying they had: “not determined an epidemiological link between these cases” and that: “no detection of Salmonella Typhi has been recorded to date.” Routine tests, the City added, still met national standards, and residents were urged to use only treated municipal water.

Opposition parties have criticised the City’s handling of the outbreak. Cilliers Brink, the Tshwane mayoral candidate for the Democratic Alliance (DA) ahead of the next local government elections, said Mayor Nasiphi Moya’s: “silence on the matter does nothing but undermine trust in the City’s ability to manage the situation.” He called for: “second-party verification” of the water tests, warning that after a 2023 cholera outbreak in the city, Tshwane could not afford poor communication or mixed messages.

The DA’s Gauteng caucus accused the African National Congress-Economic Freedom Fighter-ActionSA coalition of: “failing to act with urgency” and of relying excessively on water tankers. Brink said tanker spending had jumped by 455%, from R140 million in 2024 to R777 million in 2025. “If the City’s water is safe, residents should not still depend on expensive tanker deliveries for basic needs,” he argued.

City officials said they were working with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the Department of Water and Sanitation to identify the source of the infections. “The City takes these reports seriously and will intensify its investigations,” a statement read, promising continued monitoring and: “commitment to transparency and public health protection.”

Public health experts say timely communication and open data are critical during such outbreaks. While national laboratories can detect disease clusters early, information often reaches communities too late.