PRETORIA/TSHWANE: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Tshwane (a large city in South Africa) is reasonably good by comparison with most cities in sub-Saharan Africa, in line with South Africa’s relatively high per-capita GNP: most people have access to a hygienic toilet, and most sewage is treated before discharge to the environment in a controlled manner. However, a significant minority (about 22%) of the city’s population still lacks adequate sanitation; this is the highest proportion among the 5 largest South African cities. This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Tshwane.
This page is part of the fully editable open-access reference source on the sanitation status of all major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource considers the 40 urban agglomerations in sub-Saharan Africa with a current population of 1 million or more. To read some of the other 40 country profiles, go back tothe resource Homepage.
N.B These pages should be considered as incomplete provisional drafts, and contributions are actively requested from specialists with expert local knowledge of each specific city.
Table of Contents
- Background information
- Water resources and supply: overview
- Sanitation access
- Sewerage system
- Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
- Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
- Sanitation in low-income districts
- Responsibility
- Sanitation masterplan?
- Sanitation financing
- Major investments and donor interventions
- Sources and further reading
- References
- Other City Profiles
Background information
Tshwane is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 2.5 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It lies at about 1350 m above sea level on the Apies river. Climate is humid subtropical (Köppen classification Cwa). Flooding is not a serious problem. Pollutant industrial activities include iron, steel and copper works. There does not appear to be significant urban agricultural activity. A significant proportion of the population (over 20%) lives in low-income informal settlements.
Water resources and supply: overview
The water in Tshwane comes mostly from surface resources: about 80% comes from Rand Water (mainly the Vaal Reservoir, fed by the Vaal and Wilge Rivers), the remainder from local springs, boreholes and the Rietvlei Reservoir. Total production is about 7 million m3 per day. According to the 2007 national census (SSA 2007), about 81% of households have in-plot piped water, about 16% piped water via community standpipes, while about 3% of the population have no access to the piped supply.
Sanitation access
According to the 2007 national census (SSA 2007), about 71% of households have flush toilets connected to sewerage, about 2% have flush toilets connected a septic tank, while the remaining 27% use a bucket toilet system, or have some sort of latrine, or have no toilet. About 22% of households are judged to have inadequate sanitation on the JMP definition, mostly unimproved pit latrines: this is a markedly higher proportion than in the other major South African Cities. Open defecation is uncommon. We do not know whether there is a policy of provision of sewered public toilets in informal settlements, as in Cape Town. Note that about 3% of households are reported to have a dry toilet system, though we have no further information on precise characteristics.
Sewerage system
Tshwane has an extensive sewerage system covering much of the metropolitan area; about 71% of households are connected (SSA 2007). We do not currently have detailed information on this system.
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
The outline Water Services Development Plan (see below) does not mention desludging of onsite facilities. Presumably private or municipal tanker services exist for desludging, and presumably most sludge is transported to wastewater treatment plants: however, we have no information allowing us to confirm this.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
No detailed information available at present, though plants include Rietgat, Babelegi, Klipgat, Temba and Sandspruit; see http://www.tshwane.gov.za/Water_Sanitation_Functions.cfm
Sanitation in low-income districts
The outline of the Water Services Development Plan (see below) states that about there are approximately 129,000 informal households in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Muncipality (CTMM) that require water/sanitation upgrading, and a further 23,000 that will have to be relocated to serviced stands due to various reasons. Again according to the outline of the Water Services Development Plan, the 2001 Strategic Housing Framework for the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Muncipality (CTMM) had the overall objective of providing “intermediate” services to all areas by 2007. Given the water and sanitation access figures from the 2007 national census (SSA 2007; see above), these targets have presumably not been met. We do not currently have access to more recent and more detailed information on policy for informal settlements. A critical view of water and sanitation policy in Tshwane, and particularly the alleged absence of cross-subsidy from rich to poor consumers, is given by McInnes (2005).
Responsibility
Responsibility for both water distribution and sanitation including sewerage lies with the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM), though diverse functions (including sewerage operation and maintenance in some districts, and management of wastewater treatment plants) are contracted out to private sector operators (see http://www.tshwane.gov.za/Water_Sanitation_Functions.cfm). For useful discussion of asset management procedures, see Fair et al. (2009).
Sanitation masterplan?
The Water Services Development Plan for Tshwane, as required under the National Water Services Act (1997), appears to be under development; as at June 2010, we have not been able to access a copy, though what appears to be an outline (produced in 2002) is included in the Tshwane 2020 Integrated Development Plan, available at http://www.tshwane.gov.za/documents/idp2020/index.htm.
Sanitation financing
Brief financial information is given in the outline Water Services Development Plan (see previous section). The cost of upgrading about 92,000 households from pit latrines to sewerage is estimated to be about 88m US$, i.e. about 960 US$ per household; though it should be stressed that this is not a detailed or recent document. Fair et al. (2009) report that water is charged via a stepped tariff, and that sanitation is charged by a stepped tariff as a proportion of the water bill (customers with sewerage connection only?); households with total income below the “minimum breadline” are reported to receive 12 m3 of water per month free of charge. As noted, a critical view of water and sanitation tariffing policy is given by McInnes (2005).
Major investments and donor interventions
South Africa, classified by the World Bank as an upper middle income country, receives relatively little funding from international donors.
Sources and further reading
More information on the Water Services Development Plan may be available form http://www.imqs.co.za/solutions/waterservices.html
References
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
Fair KA, Loubser BF & Sherrif F (2009) Water and waste management: the City of Tshwane’s experience. IPWEA International Public Works Conference., Melbourne 2009. http://www.ipwea.org.au/Content/NavigationMenu/Upload_content/ConferencePapersstoragearea/LoubserBF.pdf
Hutton G, Haller L & Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of low cost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. http://www.irc.nl/page/38443
McInnes P (2005) Entrenching inequalities: the impact of corporatization on water injustices in Pretoria. IN: McDonald DA & Ruiters G (2005) The age of commodity: water privatization in Southern Africa. Earthscan, London. http://books.google.com/books?id=4-3iGOmwLqUC&dq=Entrenching+inequalities:+the+impact+of+corporatization+on+water+injustices+in+Pretoria&source=gbs_navlinks_s [only partial text available online]
UNEP/GRID-Arendal (2002) Water availability in Africa. UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water_availability_in_africa.
Other City Profiles
4) ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) 3
7) BRAZZAVILLE (Republic of Congo) 3
12) DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania) 3
14) DURBAN THEKWINI (South Africa) 3
18) JOHANNESBURG-EKURHULENI (South Africa) 3
23) KINSHASA (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
27) LUBUMBASHI (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
31) MBUJI-MAYI (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
35) OUGADOUGOU (Burkina Faso) 3
36) PORT ELIZABETH (South Africa) 3
