The City of Tshwane @CityTshwane presently loses approximately 35% to 43.8% of its total water supply to physical leaks and infrastructure losses. It amounts to a monetary loss of between R1.7 billion and R2.2 billion per year. That’s between a third and almost half. Key figures regarding water loss in Tshwane include: Physical and Total Losses: As of late 2026, physical water losses stand at about 35.0%, while total water losses (including unbilled or non-revenue water) reach up to 43.8%. Volume Lost: This translates to roughly 165.6 million kilolitres (billions of litres) of treated water lost every year. Financial Cost: The annual monetary value of these water losses is estimated between R1.7 billion and R2.2 billion per year. Infrastructure Age: Much of the city's pipe and water network is over 50 years old, driving high rates of pipe bursts and continuous leaks. The cost of water lost to leaks in Tshwane is ultimately paid for by paying ratepayers and local consumers, though the burden is absorbed in different ways depending on where the leak occurs: Paying Ratepayers (Via Tariffs): Because the City of Tshwane must buy bulk treated water from utilities like Rand Water, water that leaks out of public municipal mains still has to be paid for. To cover this multi-billion rand deficit, the municipality is forced to raise overall water tariffs. This means honest, paying residents indirectly subsidise the water that bleeds into the ground. The Municipality (Via Reduced Budgets): The estimated R1.7 billion to R2.2 billion annual loss severely drains the city’s operational budget. As a result, money that should go toward improving roads, electricity, and parks is diverted to absorb the cost of wasted water, leading to a general decline in public service delivery. The extreme strain on this infrastructure is heavily visible on the ground. In October 2026, severe system issues have led to consecutive crises, including a critical sewer line burst that contaminated water near the Finlay Reservoir, alongside massive chlorination supply failures that forced the complete shutdown of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works. Because the metro is losing nearly half of its water while asking residents to cut down on usage, the Department of Water and Sanitation recently mobilized a R500 million public-private investment drive (running from 2026 to 2031) specifically targeting the City of Tshwane to aggressively combat these non-revenue water losses. For more: dws.gov.za/documents/2026-09…