A controversial water tanker tender is still running despite a court slap-down - while Johannesburg Water hides behind a dam wall of secrecy.

Johannesburg residents no longer look to their taps to provide water. For many, that critical lifeline now comes from water tankers rumbling through the streets.

"Tanker use has become normalised. In many areas, it is no longer emergency relief. It is routine," civil society group WaterCAN's executive director, Dr Ferrial Adam, told amaBhungane.

While some residents shell out for private tankers that charge up to R1/litre - versus R30 for 1,000 litres of municipal water - others are left to chase the City's tankers through the suburbs, hoping that by the time they find one it hasn't run out of water.

But the City's tanker contracts are now in jeopardy after the Johannesburg High Court declared them "invalid".

The contract - estimated to be worth R263-million - was awarded in 2024 to two little-known but seemingly connected companies: Builtpro Construction, run by Emmanuel Sserufusa (then 27), and Nutinox, run by Sibuyile Magingxa (then 29). The two companies were contracted to supply 70 water tankers to the City of Johannesburg for a three-year period.

However, in December 2025, just one year into the contract, the court accepted a rival bidder's argument that the tender had lapsed before it was awarded, making...