Water Affairs on the safety of South Africa's tap water

SA's tap water is safe to drink

Government assures the public the tap water in the country is safe for human consumption.

Water is life, therefore, it is a priority for government to ensure that citizens and tourists are served with safe drinking water.

The establishment of the Blue Drop programme is amongst the measures government has put in place to ensure that our water services institutions, i.e. municipalities and water services providers, deliver good quality water that complies with the South African Drinking Water Quality Standard (SANS 241) It should be noted that SANS 241 is aligned with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for drinking water.

Currently, the Department of Water and Sanitation is investigating the claims made in an article by TimesLive that a holiday company, Globehunters,  reported that tap water is not safe in South Africa. We reject the allegations and assertions contained in this statement. We also hereby reassure tourists and the general public that water in South Africa is of a high quality standard.

When there is a tap water quality concern, government swiftly probes such and addresses it accordingly.

For more information contact:
DWS Media Liaison Director Sputnik Ratau
Cell: 082 874 2942 / 072 024 6794