When Safe Water Fails: Water Safety Governance and Public Health Protection in South Africa

Abstract

This preprint examines the October 2026 Bronkhorstspruit water contamination event in South Africa as a case of drinking-water safety governance failure. It discusses treatment contingency planning, source-water contamination and risk communication, and proposes reforms to strengthen drinking-water safety and public health protection.

This manuscript was submitted to the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) on 21 October 2026. It has not undergone peer review.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@misc{khomo2026when,
  title = {{When Safe Water Fails: Water Safety Governance and Public Health Protection in South Africa}},
  author = {Wanele Siyanda Khomo},
  howpublished = {Zenodo},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23546881},
  url = {https://zenodo.org/records/23546881},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - When Safe Water Fails: Water Safety Governance and Public Health Protection in South Africa
AU  - Wanele Siyanda Khomo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/21
PB  - Zenodo
DO  - 10.5281/zenodo.23546881
UR  - https://zenodo.org/records/23546881
AB  - This preprint examines the October 2026 Bronkhorstspruit water contamination event in South Africa as a case of drinking-water safety governance failure. It discusses treatment contingency planning, source-water contamination and risk communication, and proposes reforms to strengthen drinking-water safety and public health protection.  This manuscript was submitted to the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) on 21 October 2026. It has not undergone peer review.
ER  -

Abstract

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