Results from a citizen-led Schools Water Testing Project have revealed alarming findings: nearly a third of the 72 participating schools in five provinces across the country recorded high levels of E. coli in their drinking water.
The alarming findings were revealed in the WaterCAN Schools Water Testing Project on Wednesday.
‘Dangerously unsafe’
Of the 72 schools that submitted their drinking water test results to WaterCAN, 20 test results have been flagged as “dangerously unsafe.”
The tests, conducted in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Western Cape, were part of WaterCan’s initiative to monitor water quality.
Testing kit
Using WaterCAN’s Citizen Science Testing Kit, participating schools have been testing their water and uploading the results to WaterCAN’s MapMyWater Portal, which provides real-time analysis and makes the results publicly accessible.
Sponsored by the French Embassy in South Africa, the initiative is helping build one of South Africa’s largest independent, citizen-generated water-quality datasets.
Concerns
According to the report, even more concerning was that 12 of the 20 unsafe samples were directly from taps. The remaining eight were from water tanks.
“The school testing results further confirm WaterCAN’s concerns about South Africa’s deepening water and wastewater crisis and amplify findings of the Green Drop Report as well as the Blue and No Drop progress reports released last month by the Department of Water and Sanitation,” the civil society group said.
WaterCAN has issued urgent letters to the affected schools and relevant local authorities, calling for immediate intervention.
The Citizen has contacted the Department of Basic Education for comment.
‘Concerning’
The organisation’s Citizen Science and Training Coordinator, Nomsa Daele, said the results were “highly concerning” because they indicate possible faecal contamination and pose a direct health risk to learners and staff, and further deepen their concern that South Africa’s water crisis is in a critical state following years of decline.
“The presence of E. coli in drinking water is particularly serious and requires urgent attention, as it may lead to waterborne illnesses. Ensuring safe drinking water in schools is critical to protecting the health, dignity, and well-being of children.
“Although these are indicator tests, they serve as an important early warning of contamination. We have advised the schools to exercise caution and avoid using the water for drinking purposes until the matter is resolved,” said Daele.
The school’s water testing project was conducted from 16 to 27 March 2026.
Samples
The contaminated samples were taken from:
- Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, Mpumalanga;
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality, Eastern Cape;
- City of Cape Town, Western Cape
- Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, Eastern Cape;
- Makana Municipality, Eastern Cape;
- Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Free State;
- Mpofana Local Municipality, KZN;
- Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan, Eastern Cape
- Nketoana Local Municipality, Free State;
- Sundays River Valley Local Municipality, Eastern Cape;
- Umvoti Local Municipality, KZN.
Water quality
Daele said WaterCAN had asked municipalities responsible for supplying water to the affected schools to conduct confirmatory water-quality testing at those schools.
“Investigate the source of the contamination and take immediate corrective action to ensure the water is safe for consumption.
“Conduct confirmatory water quality testing at the schools, investigate the source of the contamination and take immediate corrective action to ensure the water is safe for consumption,” Daele said.
Risks
Deale expressed concerns about the risk to children.
“Given the potential risk to children’s health, we urgently need a prompt response and action on this matter,” said Daele.
Daele said 2026 marks a near doubling in the number of participating schools compared with the previous year, and that reaching all nine provinces is a sign of how important the schools project has become.
WaterCAN’s partners are Adopt-a-River, Enviro Vito, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Rhodes University, the Nelson Mandela Bay Science Centre, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, the Cape Town Science Centre, the Institute for Water Research and the LEAP Institute.
