Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the establishment of a National Water Crisis Committee, which he will personally chair. This move comes as the government intensifies efforts to confront South Africa’s deepening water challenges.
According to South African Government News Agency, delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, the President highlighted water as one of the country’s most pressing concerns, affecting large cities such as Johannesburg, smaller towns like Knysna, and rural areas such as Giyani. The President referenced past successes in addressing energy issues by establishing the National Energy Crisis Committee and expressed confidence in applying a similar approach to the water crisis.
The newly formed committee aims to ensure swift, coordinated action to address persistent water supply disruptions affecting communities nationwide. The initiative comes amid growing frustration in provinces like Gauteng, where residents face recurring water outages, low pressure, and infrastructure failures. Municipalities in Tshwane, Johannesburg, and Ekurhuleni have experienced repeated supply interruptions due to ageing infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, power failures at pumping stations, and increasing demand.
President Ramaphosa acknowledged that the crisis stems from systemic weaknesses at the municipal level, citing poor planning and inadequate maintenance as primary causes of the water problems. He emphasized that the real challenge is not the availability of water but delivering it to people’s taps.
The National Water Crisis Committee will consolidate existing efforts into a single coordinating body, deploying technical experts and resources from the national government to assist municipalities facing water challenges. The President also issued a stern warning to non-performing municipalities, stating that the government will take legal action against municipal managers who violate the Water Services Act.
To address the situation effectively, the government has already laid criminal charges against 56 municipalities that failed to meet their obligations. President Ramaphosa indicated that further charges would be pursued against municipal managers personally for violations of the National Water Act.
The intervention marks a shift toward greater accountability in the water sector, where neglect of infrastructure, financial mismanagement, and lack of technical capacity have contributed to deteriorating services. The President noted that water revenue is often misallocated in many metros, cities, and towns, resulting in insufficient investment in infrastructure upgrades and maintenance.
South Africa’s water infrastructure has been under increasing strain, with experts warning of the need for billions of rands for maintenance, upgrades, and new bulk supply projects. In Gauteng, there are concerns about system overuse and delayed infrastructure expansion to accommodate rapid urban growth.
By placing the crisis committee under his direct leadership, President Ramaphosa aims to elevate the urgency of the matter, ensuring stronger oversight and consequence management. He emphasized that reliable access to water is a basic right and crucial for economic development, public health, and human dignity, committing over R156 billion in public funding for water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years. Projects such as the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the Ntabelanga Dam are progressing as part of these efforts.