The Department of Water and Sanitation has issued a statement to reassure South Africans that the tap water in the country is safe for human consumption.

This comes after an article published by TimesLive claimed that a report by travel company, Globehunters, revealed that the water in South Africa was not safe to drink.

“We reject the allegations and assertions contained in this statement. We also hereby reassure tourists and the general public that water in South Africa is of a high quality standard,” the department said.

It added that it was investigating the claims made by the travel company and that highlighted that it has measures in place to ensure that the drinking water in the county was of the highest standard.

“The establishment of the Blue Drop programme is among the measures government has put in place to ensure that our water services institutions, i.e. municipalities and water services providers, deliver good quality water that complies with the South African Drinking Water Quality Standard (SANS 241),”it pointed out.

“It should be noted that SANS 241 is aligned with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for drinking water,” the department added.

The department further noted when there is a tap water quality concern; government swiftly probes the matter and addresses it accordingly.

“Water is life; therefore, it is a priority for government to ensure that citizens and tourists are served with safe drinking water,” it concluded.