South Africa: Antibiotic Resistance Is Spreading Through South Africa's Water Systems - Study Explains How

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing an analysis from The Conversation Africa dated 29 July 2026, reports that researchers are warning of an under-recognised route for antimicrobial resistance in South Africa: treated wastewater and receiving water systems. The article, by Stellenbosch University microbiologists Thulani P. Makhalanyane and John Paul Makumbi, explains that antimicrobial resistance occurs when disease-causing microbes can withstand medicines such as antibiotics, a problem often discussed in hospitals but increasingly linked to the wider environment.

The authors say their work, conducted as part of the African Microbiome Project, examined wastewater from several treatment plants in Tshwane. They found that although standard treatment reduced living bacteria, extracellular DNA carrying antimicrobial resistance genes could remain in discharged water. Some genes were associated with resistance to last-resort antibiotics. The report stresses that this does not prove treated wastewater is directly causing illness, but it suggests resistance may persist after treatment and could potentially move back through water use, agriculture or recreation.

The analysis argues that conventional measures of wastewater treatment success may miss this genetic material. It points to advanced options such as ultraviolet treatment, ozonation, ultrafiltration, enzymatic degradation and advanced oxidation as technologies that can help break down or remove extracellular DNA, while noting that such approaches are not yet widely deployed. It cites Cape Town wastewater upgrades involving UV treatment as a sign of adoption in South Africa.

The broader significance is that antibiotic resistance is framed not only as a medical challenge but also as a water, sanitation and environmental management issue. The authors call for expanded monitoring, cross-sector collaboration and public awareness, especially in water-scarce settings where communities may have greater exposure to reused or discharged wastewater.