Municipalities owe 3 water boards R9.7bn. Is your town on the list?

Municipalities owe three of South Africa's bulk water suppliers, Rand Water, Magalies Water and Lepelle Northern Water, about R9.7 billion between them, the boards told Parliament's water and sanitation committee on 10 November 2026 (The Citizen; PMG). The boards said the unpaid bills are slowing their efforts to expand water supply (The Citizen).

How much is each water board owed?

Source: The Citizen. The boards measured their figures on different dates and in different ways, so the R9.7 billion total is a rough combined figure (The Citizen).

Which municipalities owe Rand Water the most?

Rand Water group chief executive Sipho Mosai named Emfuleni, Merafong City, Randwest City and Govan Mbeki as its worst defaulters. He said their long outstanding debt rose 0.44% from R5.588 billion a year earlier (The Citizen).

Rand Water said it had offered relief programmes, special payment arrangements and direct talks between finance chiefs (The Citizen).

What has Magalies Water done about unpaid bills?

Magalies Water chief executive Ofentse Nthutang said the board ended its operations and maintenance services in Madibeng and Kgetleng. Thabazimbi, which owed about R266 million, signed a payment agreement and committed to settle its account in three years (The Citizen).

How much has Lepelle Northern Water recovered?

Lepelle Northern Water, which supplies bulk water in Limpopo, said only 22% of the R1.43 billion owed had been recovered. Chief executive Dr Cornelius Ruiters asked the committee for political intervention to enforce payment (The Citizen).

Is this part of a bigger debt problem?

Yes. A Futuregrowth report quoted by Financial Mail in October put total municipal debt to water boards at R25.53 billion, with about 70% more than 120 days overdue (Financial Mail).

Why does this matter if you pay your water bill?

Water boards sell bulk water to municipalities, which then supply homes. When municipalities don't pay, the boards have less money to expand supply, which is the concern they raised in Parliament (The Citizen). If your supply is interrupted, check your own municipality's official channels for updates.