Zuko Komisa

Image | The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) /X
- Rand Water has officially dismissed viral social media claims that the Vaal Dam was poisoned as entirely false.
- Recent laboratory tests confirm the supply fully complies with South African National Standards for safe drinking water.
- Residents are urged to drink directly from their taps and ignore unverified WhatsApp warnings in favour of official government updates.
A viral WhatsApp voice note claiming the Vaal Dam has been “poisoned” has been exposed as a malicious hoax.
Rand Water acted swiftly this weekend to reassure residents that tap water remains perfectly safe to drink without boiling.
The utility dismissed the social media claims as “false and misleading,” confirming that its rigorous treatment and testing protocols are fully operational.
Far from being unsafe, the water undergoess a comprehensive purification process that meets the highest national safety standards.
“Vigorous and continuous testing is conducted on both raw and treated water,” the entity stated, urging the public to ignore alarmist messages and rely only on official channels for health information.
The bulk water services provider emphasised that that recent water quality results confirm that Rand Water’s treated bulk water supply fully complies with the South African National Standard for Drinking Water (SANS241).
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