Water crisis: What the ANC, DA, EFF and MK party promise ahead of the 4 November local elections
Compare the water promises in the ANC, DA, EFF and MK party.
South Africa is grappling with a severe and worsening water crisis, driven by ageing infrastructure, poor municipal management, high non-revenue water losses, climate pressures, and alleged activities of a water tanker mafia. The crisis has led to protests, with people going months without water. Each of the major political parties - the ANC, DA, EFF, and MK party - have proffered distinct plans to address the issue in their local government manifestos as they vie for support ahead of the 4 November elections.
The ANC has promised to invest at least 8% of municipal assets in maintenance and renewal annually, with a target of reducing non-revenue water to below 30% by 2028. It also plans to treat water contamination as a health emergency and explore alternative sources of supply such as groundwater, water reuse, desalination, and rainwater harvesting. The ANC will keep tariffs fair and protect free basic services for qualifying households.
The DA plans to ringfence water and sanitation revenue for infrastructure spending, install smart meters for residents to track usage, back drought planning and provide backup generators for water pump stations. It also promises private-sector partnerships under strict service level agreements. The DA highlights Cape Town's New Water Programme as evidence that their plans work.
The EFF lists 13 commitments on water, environment, and climate change. It pledges to fix water leaks within a day of reporting, establish dedicated plumbing teams in high-leakage areas, ensure universal access to water and sanitation, write off water debt caused by incorrect billing, and in-house water tanker services, reserving them for emergencies.
The MK party frames water as a matter of state ownership, warns against privatisation, and pledges to reverse policies that privilege private capital. It promises state control of natural resources, including water, and reversal of SOEs policy. MK's candidate in KwaZulu-Natal, Mxolisi Phakathi, insists the water crisis is a management problem, not an unsolvable one, pledging to focus on leak fixes, tanker management, and leadership failures.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
