Water supply has emerged as the most significant challenge facing the country, with Minister Pemmy Majodina inheriting a department grappling with widespread outages across several, if not all, municipalities.
The issues extend beyond simple supply problems. They encompass maintenance programmes and the overall management of critical water infrastructure.
More than 1.1 million households across South Africa remain without access to potable water, according to data from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
While the national average shows 6% of households do not have clean drinking water, the burden falls disproportionately on certain provinces, with the Eastern Cape facing the most severe crisis at 340 818 households lacking access.
Municipal water crises deepen
Residents of Merafong on the West Rand, Gauteng, celebrated the restoration of water on 14 December after areas within the municipality had gone without it for almost a year.
The water was restored after the municipality submitted a plan to Rand Water on how it would pay its R1.4 billion bill.
In Kokosi, Merafong, on the West Rand, residents faced a risk of contracting waterborne diseases while collecting water from dirty roadside drains and other contaminated sources. This was a daily routine shared with hundreds of communities around the country.
Community members confirmed that taps had been dry for the past eight months.
During a recent council meeting in the Merafong City municipality, it emerged that the municipality owed Rand Water R1.4 billion and Eskom R1.6 billion.
When The Citizen visited the area, several people were collecting water from roadside drains, while others queued for water dripping from a small black pipe in the ground.
Severe decline in water provision services
Asked about the most critical water challenge facing South Africa today, Majodina acknowledged the severity of service delivery failures.
While water resource availability remains balanced between demand and supply, there has been a severe decline in the reliability of water provision services, she explained.
“This has been caused by a variety of factors, including underinvestment in maintenance and renewal of infrastructure and a lack of appointments of staff with the required qualifications,” Majodina said.
She noted this has resulted in a decline in the national average for reliability to 68%, non-revenue water of 48%, and deteriorating water quality in about 60% of water supply systems.
“One of the most critical tasks the water sector and government are seized by is to get the municipalities (water services authorities) to function efficiently, as this will ensure that they deliver water and sanitation services in line with the National Compulsory Water and Sanitation Norms and Standards that outlines minimum standards for the provision of these services,” the minister said.
ALSO READ: Merafong R1.4bn debt leaves residents without water for 8 months
Vaal Dam
Meanwhile, the Vaal Dam, which forms an essential part of the integrated Vaal river system and supplies water to all of Gauteng, has maintained levels above 100% since 7 March 2025.
The dam reached its highest level in April, exceeding 120%, prompting the opening of more than 10 sluice gates.
Residents in the Vaal triangle have been warned about flooding and evacuations several times this year, when the dam’s levels would rise rapidly due to heavy rains.
Earlier in the year, when sluice gates were released, it led to criticism of the department for not releasing water more carefully and earlier.
During the week of 17 to 23 November, the dam reached approximately 112%, prompting the department to execute a controlled water release that lowered the dam level.
Dam’s management defended
Midvaal councillor Pieter Swart defended the department’s water level management this year. He noted the delicate balance between water security and flood management.
“The mandate of the Department of Water and Sanitation is to keep the dam as full as possible for as long as possible,” he explained.
“They have to wait until they get up-to-date data from the weather services to know when there’s more rain coming, and only then can they take into consideration whether they should open the sluice gates or not. So in my opinion, they have actually managed it very well this year.”
Responding to criticism from residents who believed gates should have been opened earlier, Swart emphasised legal and practical constraints.
“The fact is that the mandate states that they [the department] must keep it as full as possible for as long as possible. They can’t just maybe drop the percentage down to 80% and then if the rain doesn’t come, then the dam is not where it should be,” he said.
“So from a legal perspective, I think, and from a practical perspective, in my opinion, they actually did quite a good job this year.”
The minister echoed Swart’s views and explained that the Vaal Dam is part of the integrated Vaal–Orange River System and is operated in accordance with approved technical guidelines for flood management.
Vaal Dam precautionary measures
She said these guidelines require the department to balance three key objectives: protection of dam safety, reduction of downstream flood risk as far as practically achievable, and safeguarding a reliable water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural users after a rainfall season.
Furthermore, Majodina said the department has established flood management protocols in coordination with the National Disaster Management Centre, Provincial Disaster Management Centres and local municipalities.
In the event of an overflow, emergency releases will be coordinated and affected communities will be alerted to take necessary precautions, she added.
Key actions include issuing advance warnings to downstream communities and stakeholders, activating emergency evacuation plans if flood conditions worsen, and adjusting releases strategically to manage flood peaks and minimise damage.
Addressing concerns about the dam exceeding 100% capacity several times this year, the minister clarified that while the Vaal Dam operates with a full supply level of 100%, it has a flood absorption capacity of 26%, meaning it can accommodate water levels up to 126% before posing a significant structural or operational risk.
“However, as a precautionary measure, and in line with the flood management protocols, we generally aim to keep the dam’s level below 103% to ensure optimal peak inflow attenuation,” Majodina said.
She explained that during high flow seasons, the dam is operated according to flood management protocols to activate controlled water releases based on real-time inflow measurements, river-routing models and rainfall forecasts, in close coordination with disaster-management structures.
“The department adheres to the fundamental rule of flood management, which is to keep outflows equal to inflows, when possible, but up to a certain limit,” the minister said. “But the rule will always be to do gradual releases and ensure that outflow is less than inflow into the dam.”
Majodina also warned communities about development in flood-prone areas. Since rainfall and floods are natural phenomena and the control of these events may be limited, the department continues to advise against siting essential services and human settlements in parts of the floodplains where there is a likelihood of frequent flooding, she said.
“By law, the 1-in-100-year floodline serves as an artificial boundary for which there should be no development located below it because it faces repeated flood threats.”
She noted that the recent 2025 floods in the Vaal-Orange system were approximately equivalent to a 1:30 flood, indicating that there are developments located well within the 1:100-year flood extent.
ALSO READ: Crisis averted at the Vaal Dam
Water quality challenges persist
In January, E. coli was detected at several points in the Vaal Barrage Reserve.
Rand Water clarified that its Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant abstracts raw water from the Vaal Dam, not the Vaal River Barrage, and that rigorous treatment processes ensure compliance with national standards.
“Rand Water confirms that the drinking water supplied from Zuikerbosch WTP is safe for human consumption,” the utility said, noting its intensive monitoring programme includes testing for E. coli, protozoan parasites and viruses.
On broader water quality and pollution concerns, Majodina outlined several initiatives the department is pursuing. She said her department launched a series of policy, enforcement and infrastructure initiatives to combat water pollution and improve water quality.
“The ministry of water and sanitation continues to conduct regular oversight visits to municipalities across the country to engage with leaders at national, provincial and local level to make them aware about the devastating impacts of not operating the Wastewater Treatment plants efficiently,” Majodina said.
“These visits assist in assessing, intervening and supporting long-term solutions that support public health and water security.”
Hammanskraal crisis continues
The water crisis in Hammanskraal, which the minister inherited, has persisted for several years, with many residents still waiting for clean, running water.
In 2023, the Tshwane Metro and the department devised a solution bypassing the polluted Apies River, with Magalies Water completing a modular treatment plant on the Pienaars River.
DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink noted that, a year after Mayor Nasiphi Moya’s election, Hammanskraal residents still lack potable water at their taps, while the city spends more on water tankers.
“All four phases of the project should have been done by June this year,” Brink said.
In February, Moya urged residents to refrain from drinking water until testing was completed, following concerns about the quality of the new Klipdrift Magalies water package.
“This situation contrasts with the laboratory-tested water quality recorded in January when supply was first restored to wards 49, 73, 74 and 75, specifically communities including Mandela Village, Marokolong, Ramotse, Kekana Gardens [Steve Bikoville] and Babelegi Industrial,” she said.
The Klipdrift package plant, being implemented in four phases with expected completion mid-2025, serves as a short-term intervention while the city refurbishes the Rooiwal wastewater treatment works.
ALSO READ: Hammanskraal still awaits water
High-level engagements yield limited ground-level impact
Majodina has participated in several significant water-sector events this year, including the National Water and Sanitation Indaba, the African Union-AIP G20 Water Investment Summit, and the AWSISA Africa and Global South Water and Sanitation Dialogue 2025.
The National Water and Sanitation Indaba identified South Africa’s water crisis as primarily a governance and infrastructure challenge worsened by climate variability.
Rand Water’s Ramateu Monyokolo noted that the indaba emphasised the need for research, innovation and inclusive participation in future water planning.
He said at a continental level, the AU-AIP G20 Water Investment Summit positioned water as a strategic climate-adaptation asset, securing a climate-resilient project pipeline estimated at approximately R170 billion to R204 billion annually.
“It also unlocked global financing mechanisms to support long-term, climate-proof water infrastructure across Africa,” Monyokolo added.
The AWSISA dialogue focused on equity and community resilience, highlighting that informal settlements, rural communities, women and youth are disproportionately affected by climate-induced water insecurity.
Monyokolo said the event championed localised innovation, utility reform and cross-border cooperation.
However, despite the minister’s participation in these important seminars and summits, tangible results have yet to materialise on the ground.
Communities continue to endure eight months without water, while others have gone years without access to potable water.
Major projects offer hope
When asked about specific projects or initiatives that can improve water security, Majodina highlighted several major infrastructure investments.
She said the government has prioritised implementing major water resource projects, with over R100 billion allocated to projects such as the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (Phase 2), the uMkhomazi Bulk Water Project, and dam wall raising to increase storage capacity at the Clanwilliam and Tzaneen dams, among others.
These projects aim to secure water supply and reduce pollution risks, she added.
“The department is also establishing the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) and the process is expected to be completed in 2026,” Majodina revealed.
“The agency, which will develop and manage the national water resources infrastructure, will use its asset balance sheet to raise finance on the markets for national water resource infrastructure projects.”
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