The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has reaffirmed government’s firm and uncompromising commitment to tackling the growing challenges of water infrastructure sabotage and the criminal activities of the so-called water mafias.

The department will not hesitate to act and will intensify its collaboration with law enforcement agencies and all levels of government to ensure that those behind the sabotage of water infrastructure are identified and prosecuted, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo has assured.

His comments follow the publication, in June, of a comprehensive policy brief titled ‘How to address systemic sabotage of essential water infrastructure’ by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

The policy outlines the various legislative and policy mechanisms available to the State to tackle water mafias and the systematic sabotage of essential water infrastructure, and offers several advisory recommendations to address the crisis.

Speaking during a subsequent SAHRC-hosted webinar, themed ‘Sabotage of essential water infrastructure and water mafias: What can be done?’, Mahlobo said the destruction, vandalism and extortion within the water sector constitute acts of economic sabotage that continue to undermine service delivery, obstruct South Africa’s developmental goals and violate the constitutional right to water.

“We will not tolerate the deliberate sabotage of our water infrastructure,” he told attendees, highlighting how criminal syndicates, often colluding with unscrupulous individuals, deliberately disrupt water supply networks by damaging pump stations, pipelines and valves – and then profit by selling water through tankers at inflated prices.



The criminal operations have become widespread and coordinated, with the theft of critical components such as pipes, cables and meters leading to water outages across the country.

Urgent, coordinated and forceful action is needed, he emphasised.



Community engagement is important to protect infrastructure, and citizens are urged to report suspicious activities and support public education efforts aimed at raising awareness about the implications of vandalism and theft.

He also called for a culture of whistleblowing, encouraging individuals with knowledge of criminal networks or corruption in the sector to come forward, adding that their role is vital in rooting out entrenched criminality.

“All acts of theft, vandalism or extortion should be reported without delay to local law enforcement or municipal security authorities.”

Communities are also being urged to embrace innovation, as municipalities start deploying technology such as surveillance systems, remote sensors and smart infrastructure to detect and prevent sabotage.

All South Africans, particularly civil society, organised labour, water activists, conservation groups and traditional leaders, need to unite against the sabotage of national infrastructure.

Access to water is a fundamental human right and must never be held hostage by criminals, he continued.