Key points
- Criminal groups are strategically sabotaging water infrastructure to profit from service disruptions.
- Despite existing laws, lack of enforcement allows these attacks to continue unchecked.
- The SAHRC calls for urgent national action to secure infrastructure and prosecute offenders.
As South Africa marks the end of Environment Month, the country’s top human rights watchdog has warned that the constitutional right to access clean water is under threat.
In a new report, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) warns that the threat comes not only from drought or mismanagement, but from coordinated criminal sabotage on a national scale.
On 25 June 2025, the SAHRC released a scathing policy brief exposing what it terms “systemic sabotage” of water infrastructure, an escalating crisis tied to criminal networks dubbed the “water mafias.” These syndicates are deliberately targeting pumps, reservoirs and treatment plants, jeopardising public health and disrupting vital services in vulnerable communities.
“The deliberate destruction of infrastructure is not random,” the report states. “It is strategic, organised and often driven by profit motives or criminal intent to hijack public service delivery systems for private gain.”
In partnership with the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape, the SAHRC urges a coordinated national response, starting with law enforcement, legislative enforcement, and a crackdown on internal corruption.
Criminal law must catch up
While laws like the Criminal Matters Amendment Act of 2015 impose severe penalties (up to 30 years’ imprisonment), enforcement has been inconsistent. Major parts of the newer Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, designed to replace outdated security legislation, remain dormant, leaving critical systems vulnerable.
In the report, the SAHRC recommends finalising the Draft National Policing Policy to prioritise water sabotage and activating the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act without delay. In cases involving fear-mongering or disruption to national stability, sabotage could even be prosecuted under terrorism legislation.
Failure to enforce
Despite a legal framework in place, investigations rarely lead to arrests or convictions. Corporations found guilty under current law can face fines up to R100 million, but few are held accountable.
The SAHRC has sent formal recommendations to key authorities, including the Presidency, the Hawks, and the National Prosecuting Authority. These include calls to:
- Prioritise infrastructure sabotage as a national crime threat.
- Assign trained prosecutors and fast-track related cases.
- Increase court capacity to handle these matters swiftly.
- Root out corruption within water departments and blacklist implicated vendors.
Water mafias profit from crisis
Many of these crimes are connected to procurement schemes such as emergency water tankers, which become more profitable when supply systems fail, according to the SAHRC. In some cases, officials are bribed or threatened; in others, infrastructure is deliberately left unrepaired to justify outsourced contracts.
The SAHRC warns municipalities to revise emergency water models and reduce reliance on tanker operators who may benefit from failure.
“This is not just a criminal issue; it’s a human rights crisis,” the SAHRC warns. “Without swift action, systemic sabotage may render South Africa’s constitutional promise of clean water meaningless.”
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