South Africa Blames Its Water Crisis on the Municipalities
The President named two structural failures and no municipality, no percentage and no rand figure. The audited data behind the diagnosis is worse than the diagnosis. The post South Africa Blames Its Water Crisis on the Municipalities appeared first on The Rio Times .
South Africa's water crisis, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, stems from deep structural problems at the municipal level. He highlighted two issues: municipalities not setting aside revenue from water sales for reinvestment in water provision, and the lack of separation between the water services authority and the provider in most municipalities.
The National Water Action Plan, released on July 23, 2026, is the government's solution, overseen by a water crisis committee chaired by the President. The 2025 Green Drop report, released on March 31, 2026, revealed that 396 out of 848 wastewater treatment works were in critical condition in 2023/24, up from 334 in the previous audit.
Non-revenue water, accounting for about 47 percent of the total, is lost due to leaks, theft, broken meters, and unpaid bills. Municipalities owed water boards R25.6 billion by August 2025, up from R22.36 billion in June 2024. Ramaphosa also mentioned two forms of crime: theft of metal parts for scrap and the water tanker mafia, who profit from water supply failures.
Despite the government's commitment to investing over R156 billion in water and sanitation infrastructure, actual spending has been significantly lower, falling short of the required R90 billion annually.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
