The metro has urged residents to avoid untreated water and practice good hygiene as investigations continue into the source of contamination.
The Tshwane metro has launched an investigation into a recent rise in laboratory-confirmed typhoid cases reported in parts of the city, particularly in Bronkhorstspruit and Hammanskraal.
According to metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, preliminary results from recent drinking water samples have not yet identified the source of contamination between the reported cases.
"The results have also not yet determined the source of the contamination," Mashigo added.
He stated that the city is taking these reports seriously and will intensify investigations in collaboration with the Department of Health, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to determine the cause of the increase.
Mashigo noted that the metro conducts routine water quality testing across its network and, to date, no detection of Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid, has been recorded.
"The city maintains stringent monitoring and testing protocols to ensure that all treated water supplied to residents complies with the South African National Standard (SANS 241) for drinking water," he explained.
He urged residents to avoid using untreated river or borehole water for domestic purposes and to rely solely on piped municipal water that has been properly treated and tested.
Communities are also encouraged to follow good hygiene practices, such as washing hands with soap and water and ensuring the safe storage of drinking water.
"The city remains committed to transparency and public health protection. Updates will be shared with residents as and when there are developments on the matter," assured Mashigo.
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader Cilliers Brink has expressed concern over the situation, stating that the city's response must be carefully managed to prevent a potential tragedy.
Brink highlighted that the DA was particularly alarmed by the surge in typhoid cases in Hammanskraal, a community that has struggled with unsafe drinking water for years.
"As the City of Tshwane coalition government lurches from serious crisis to more serious crisis, the apparent outbreak of typhoid in the city must be carefully managed to avoid tragedy," he said.
Brink criticised the delays in the metro's Hammanskraal water project, which is intended to replace water supplied by costly and unreliable tankers with treated water from Magalies Water.
He noted that while the first of four phases of the project were launched in January, many residents still have no access to clean water.
"When I visited Hammanskraal a few weeks ago, residents who were supposed to have clean water in their taps had no water at all," said Brink.
"Although water is not the only source of typhoid, it is certainly at the top of the list of causes that must be eliminated."
Brink called on the city to release the results of routine water tests conducted on the Rooiwal-Apies River-Leeuwkraal system.
"These tests serve as an early warning mechanism for contamination," he added.
He also urged the metro to reassure residents that the water tankers supplying Hammanskraal are still adhering to the hygiene and supply controls implemented during the 2023 cholera outbreak.
"We call on the city to act swiftly to contain the situation.