GROUNDUP: Tshwane’s drinking water crisis a wake-up call for SA as sewage pollution sickens hundreds

More than 400 people, mostly children under four, contracted gastrointestinal illnesses after drinking contaminated tap water in Bronkhorstspruit, exposing failures in water treatment and municipal oversight. The outbreak highlights South Africa’s wider sewage crisis, with experts warning that failing wastewater systems threaten drinking-water safety and national water security.