Stephen Moore

1/13 Tshwane’s water losses tell a stark political story. DWS once recorded DA-led #Tshwane as #Gauteng’s best metro on NRW. By July 2026, under the Moya-led coalition, NRW had reached 45.6%. These are official figures, not DA estimates. 🧵

THABAZIMBI WATER CRISIS 1/5 I started our oversight with Cllr Estie Fourie at the town pump station, where only 2 of 3 pumps are working, and both leak while operating. I was told the balancing tank empties so quickly that pumping must stop every 1–3 hours so it can refill. This is where Thabazimbi’s water problems begin.

South Africa cannot fix its water crisis with public money alone. Well-structured public-private partnerships can help unlock investment, improve infrastructure and expand reliable water services - while keeping public ownership and protecting indigent households. My piece in @SowetanLIVE: sowetan.co.za/opinion/column…

1/ If you are without water in parts of Gauteng today, the problem is bigger than the original fault at Rand Water’s Vereeniging Water Purification Plant. The technical problem has been resolved - but the impact will take much longer to work through the system. 🧵 (1/5)

What can go wrong in just 10 metres of Johannesburg? In 30 seconds, Cllr Bea Cloete and I found: 💧 5 pipe bursts 🕳️ A collapsed stormwater chamber 🚦 Traffic lights out after cable theft 🗑️ Another stormwater chamber full of rubbish All on Pretoria Avenue in Randburg - home of the infamous “Joburg Jacuzzi”. This is what years of neglected infrastructure looks like. Johannesburg needs to get the basics working again.

In Ward 98, Johannesburg, we found FOUR separate sewage leaks flowing into the river during a single visit. This pipe alone is pouring an enormous amount of sewage straight into the watercourse. Johannesburg Water is trying to repair these failures, but they are struggling to keep up. And that should worry all of us. If South Africa’s largest metro is struggling to keep sewage out of its rivers, we have a much bigger water and sanitation infrastructure crisis on our hands. We cannot normalise this.

Thank you to our Parliamentary Leader, George Michalakis MP, for the continued confidence in me as the DA’s Spokesperson on Water and Sanitation, and for the opportunity to also serve as an alternate on the COGTA Portfolio Committee. The two roles are closely connected. So much of South Africa’s water crisis is ultimately rooted in municipal failure, including failing infrastructure, weak financial management, poor maintenance and a lack of accountability. My own background is in local government, and I’m excited to broaden the work we’ve already been doing on Water and Sanitation by engaging more directly with the challenges facing municipalities. There is enormous work ahead to get local government working again and ensure South Africans receive the basic services they deserve. 🇿🇦

I wrote a piece in the Sowetan.

Minister Majodina has now approved additional water abstraction for Rand Water after the DA called for this action on 11 Feb. This will help build buffers while the Vaal Dam is over capacity and should ease outages, especially for high-lying areas and end-of-line suburbs. But let’s be clear: this is a short-term stabiliser. The real fix is in the hands of municipalities. Joburg, Tshwane, and all municipalities must now repair leaks and bursts, manage pressure, and cut non-revenue water. No more excuses. No more endless outages. 🎥 Watch the video below.

I’m Stephen Moore MP (DA Spokesperson on Water & Sanitation). Today I’m in Knysna for a Dam-to-Tap oversight visit - showing how water should move through the system, and where it’s failing. The Western Cape Government has asked national government to declare a state of disaster for Knysna’s water situation. Yes, drought is real - but Knysna’s crisis is also about neglected infrastructure and failed management of the backup systems meant for times like this. Sadly, this mirrors too many towns across South Africa. Part 1/8 #Knysna #WaterCrisis #DamToTap

Gauteng’s water demand is at a record high. This isn’t a “someday” problem - it’s the kind of trend that turns a hot week or a small fault into real outages. Start with the combined chart 👇 #RandWater #Gauteng (1/7)

Rand Water’s graph tells a simple story: 🟡 Pumped: ~4 751 ML/day (produced + pumped) 🔵 Delivered: ~4 519 ML/day (to customers) ➡️ Gap: ~232 ML/day ≈ 5% That’s what low bulk NRW looks like. When pumping dips during maintenance or faults (often normally closer to around 5 000 ML/day), reservoirs drain and recovery takes days, not hours.

In Parliament today for a big finance agenda: ✅ Tax bills (Tax Administration & Taxation Laws Amendment) ✅ Special Appropriation Bill ✅ 2025 MTBPS ✅ Adjustments Appropriation Bill Budgets aren’t speeches - they’re choices that determine delivery (including water & sanitation). Watch the quick video update. #Parliament #MTBPS #Budget

I asked DWS what each metro has spent on water tanker services and tanker vehicles (past 3 financial years + since 1 April 2025). Their reply: DWS doesn’t provide tankers on behalf of municipalities. That’s not what I asked. Residents deserve a transparent metro-by-metro tanker bill. (1/3)