Despite ongoing issues with water scarcity, unreliable supply, and aging infrastructure in various communities, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo assured that South Africa will not exhaust its water reserves by 2030.
Despite ongoing issues with water scarcity, unreliable supply, and aging infrastructure in various communities, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo assured that South Africa will not exhaust its water reserves by 2030.
These statements were made yesterday at the International Conference on Water Issues and Solutions (ICWCS 2026), which was attended by the University of Zululand, the University of Chang'an, and the Water Science and Technology Research Centre. Experts, researchers, and policymakers gathered at the conference to seek solutions to growing water stress.
Mahlobo's confidence came amid persistent water challenges in South Africa. Specifically, Gauteng has experienced interruptions in recent months following failures at Rand Water pumping stations and a major pipeline burst. KwaZulu-Natal also faces shortages, forcing some communities to rely on emergency tankers while long-term projects for main infrastructure are developed.
Mahlobo emphasized the distinction between these local deficits and the prospect of complete depletion of the country's water resources. He acknowledged that South Africa is already facing localized shortages in certain catchments due to climate change, increased consumption and demand, population growth, economic growth, and migration.
The main task, according to him, is finding additional sources to meet growing demand. He stated that the country needs to move beyond traditional reliance on reservoirs, pointing to groundwater, desalination, reuse, and water restoration as key elements of the nation's future water strategy.
He noted that groundwater remains one of the best available sources, but its sustainable use requires more research and mapping of aquifers. Mahlobo stressed that groundwater is not a low-quality source and can be studied because the country is 'chasing every drop of water.'
Furthermore, Mahlobo drew attention to desalination, especially given South Africa's extensive coastline, although he admitted the associated energy demands and brine management complexities. He also highlighted the need for more active use of treated wastewater, asserting that 'reuse is not low-quality water.'
He added that scientific advancements allow one drop to be used millions of times while maintaining the necessary quality level. Ensuring the country's water future will require a fundamental shift in the approach to water resource management, including reducing losses and increasing efficiency. Mahlobo concluded that 'there is no luxury of wasting a drop of water; there is only one drop to be saved.'
Vice-Chancellor and Professor Nokutula Winifred Kunene noted that the conference must transform research and discussions into practical outcomes. She stated that South Africa, as well as the wider SADC region and many represented countries, is experiencing increasing pressure on both the quantity and quality of their water resources. Kunene emphasized that for South Africa, water security is not just an environmental issue, but an imperative for development, economy, and society.
Kunene insisted that the scale of the crisis requires collaboration among government, scientists, industry, water utilities, and the public. She stressed that these tasks cannot be solved solely by the government or universities in isolation, but require interaction between science, government, industry, water utilities, communities, and civil society.
Dr. Patrick Nonjola, Director of the National Research Foundation (NRF), stated that the world is time to move from recognizing the crisis to taking action. He believes that the world lacks not awareness of the water crisis, but the courage, cooperation, and competence to act at the required scale and speed. Nonjola called on the conference to help the sector transition from identifying problems to implementing sustainable solutions, so that the legacy of this gathering is reflected in healthier rivers, stronger institutions, resilient communities, and a more water-secure future for all.
The water problem is related not only to supply but also to water quality. A recent investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) revealed serious breakdowns in sewage infrastructure and contamination in some areas of the Eastern Cape, including an E. coli reading of 616,000 per 100 milliliters in West Bank. The Commission demanded enhanced monitoring and urgent corrective measures.
These findings emerged against the backdrop of President Cyril Ramaphosa's efforts to accelerate government response through the National Water Access Acceleration Programme, aimed at communities in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape. Ramaphosa stated that the approach would be similar to the government's response to the energy crisis. The government asserts that it is responding to both short-term and long-term issues through the National Water Resource Action Plan, which focuses on stabilizing vulnerable systems, improving municipal operations, accelerating infrastructure implementation, reducing water losses, and diversifying sources.
Water problems are no longer solely an environmental issue in Mzansi; they are becoming one of the most serious threats to the country's food system. This was stated at the Water and Food Indaba event, which recently took place at the Two Oceans aquarium in Cape Town. Farmers, researchers, politicians, and community leaders discussed lessons learned from the 'Day Zero' period, analyzing how water scarcity continues to affect agriculture, food production, and the lives of communities across the country.
Community organizer and feminist activist Anriette Abrahamse from Bonteheuwel on Cape Flats noted that the problem facing many working-class people is not a lack of solutions, but a lack of political will. She stated that the government knows perfectly well what needs to be done, but this will is absent, arguing that community concerns about basic services are too often ignored.
Referencing the quarantine experience during Covid-19, Abrahamse explained how residents turned to community gardens after it became clear that food parcels were not a sustainable solution. They occupied unused land, relying on the older generation to teach the youth farming and reviving traditional water-saving methods to sustain the gardens under limited resources.
According to Nkosinathi Swartbuy from Movement4Care, water is not just an environmental issue, but an issue of inequality. Swartbuy argued that access to water, much like access to housing, is still determined by apartheid-era spatial planning and economic inequality. He emphasized that where people live continues to determine the quality of services they receive, from water supply and sanitation to life-improving opportunities.
Citing the Constitutional Court's victory in the Tafelberg housing complex case, Swartbuy stated that the government is responsible for using state lands and resources to gradually realize the constitutional rights of citizens. He noted: 'Water, like housing, has become a commodity. Access to water is determined not only by your race, but by your class.' He also stressed that the fight for water is inseparable from the fight for decent housing and basic services. Swartbuy warned that if the issue of inequality is not resolved, many communities will continue to face obstacles in accessing water, sanitation, and food security, even while living in one of the country's wealthiest cities.
Independent filmmaker Miki Redelinghuys recounted that the fight for water during the Covid-19 quarantine exposed inequalities that many Cape Town residents faced long before the pandemic. Speaking at the Water and Food Indaba, Redelinghuys shared insights from filming the Reclaim the City movement in her film Mother City. She recalled how volunteers weekly delivered five-litre containers of water to settlements in the city center after authorities cut off water and electricity, demonstrating how communities stepped up where the state failed.
Reflecting on the strongest moment of the documentary, Redelinghuys quoted Nkosinathi Swartbuy from Movement4Care: 'Covid did not create inequality. It did not create the abuse of black bodies. It simply revealed what already existed.' Redelinghuys noted that the pandemic highlighted the sharp contrast between different communities: 'While people in the suburbs exchanged recipes, people in townships worried about where they would get their next meal.'
