Ramaphosa concedes government failures as South Africa’s water crisis deepens

President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that collapsing infrastructure and poor municipal management have worsened South Africa’s water crisis, saying urgent reform is required to prevent a nationwide threat to supply and quality.

Overview of the crisis

The crisis is described in government statements as one of escalating infrastructural and socio-economic risk, with an estimated R400 billion to R900 billion needed to repair failing municipal water systems, upgrade infrastructure and prevent systemic water losses. It is marked by chronic supply disruptions, ageing infrastructure and collapsing water quality, with many municipalities particularly in Gauteng facing intermittent cuts, low pressure and weeks-long outages.

Ramaphosa’s admission and government response

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, Ramaphosa said the government had not succeeded in maintaining infrastructure, managing water services properly or responding with sufficient urgency. He wrote:

“Parts of our country are experiencing worsening water shortages and deteriorating water quality. In some places, ageing water infrastructure has collapsed.”

Ramaphosa said the National Water Crisis Committee was established earlier this year to coordinate interventions across government. He said the committee focuses on strengthening municipal water and sanitation services, increasing water infrastructure investment, reforming water sector institutions, improving the legal and regulatory framework, and addressing corruption and criminality in the sector.

Immediate interventions and longer-term plans

The president said the response prioritises sustainable, long-term reform rather than quick fixes. He described the National Water Action Plan as a programme that brings together national, provincial and local government, water boards, regulators and water service authorities around a single set of actions with clear responsibilities and timelines.

Among the immediate measures he mentioned are emergency infrastructure projects, including the rollout of boreholes in Hammanskraal, which he said will be expanded to reach more communities.

Legislative, regulatory and financial measures

Ramaphosa said legislative and regulatory reform is under way and that a National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency has been established to coordinate investment in bulk water infrastructure. He added that public hearings will soon begin on the Water Services Amendment Bill, which he said will strengthen enforcement and enable municipal managers who fail to manage water infrastructure to be held personally liable.

On financing, Ramaphosa said that R156 billion has been allocated to water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years as part of government’s public infrastructure investment programme. He also said the National Treasury is supporting municipalities toward financial sustainability, including measures to ensure that revenue from water is retained by water entities for reinvestment in infrastructure.

Enforcement and accountability

The president said where municipalities or officials fail to comply with environmental and water-services legislation, government will use available enforcement mechanisms, including directives, criminal proceedings and, where the law permits, personal liability.

Framing the challenge

Ramaphosa described expanding water access as one of the “most important achievements of our democracy” while stressing the need for coordinated action across government and the water sector to halt further deterioration in supply and quality.