The recent Water and Sanitation Indaba held on 27 and 28 March 2025 signalled a notable shift with clear leadership, great intent and real commitment from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), exhibitors and from the speakers and delegates, drawn from national government, national entities, provincial government, local government, South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the private sector and selected water and sanitation experts.
The Water and Sanitation Indaba brought together various key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to constructively engage on urgent and pressing water challenges facing the water sector and communities across South Africa. It called for the fostering of collaboration and partnership, collective action, strengthening of accountability, joint responsibility and the drive for tangible action. This was not only timely, but critical especially since the country is at a critical juncture in terms of its water security.
The primary causes and drivers contributing to the country’s ongoing water challenges and in some cases, escalation to crises, is not secret and it should be under no illusion that we do not find ourselves at a pressing moment. Widespread neglect of infrastructure leading to failures, persistent mismanagement, continued underinvestment in maintenance, high levels of non-revenue water, increasingly unreliable or no water supply, poor or a complete lack of service delivery, lack of accountability, the apparent continuation of misappropriation of funds, alleged corruption and sabotage, the water and/or construction mafias and the alarming dysfunction in local municipalities - culminated into a dire reality of many Water Service Authorities (WSAs)/local municipalities not able to meet basic service delivery obligations. This was not ignored.
Collaboration and partnership for action
Communities has had to bear the brunt of this ongoing neglect and dysfunction by experiencing continued erratic water supply or nothing at all, deteriorating sanitation or continued use of pit toilets, raw sewage running through streets into surrounding water resources, widespread pollution of already scarce water resources and major decrease in water quality — conditions that are not merely just an inconvenience affecting all facets of life, the environment and economic growth. Failures of water and sanitation delivery combined with lack of responsiveness affect quality of life, food and water security, financial losses, but can also become life-threatening – if no appropriate action is taken.
The Water and Sanitation Indaba received widespread criticism, describing it as just another talk show and waste of money. The scepticism and overall negativity regarding the Water and Sanitation Indaba may be understandable – given the well-documented escalating water challenges, dysfunction and neglect. The Water and Sanitation Indaba proved to be the opposite. Instead of only hammering on the various water challenges and crises faced – discussions were solution-driven, outcome-based, action-orientated while requiring realistic draft timelines. The Indaba had one clear objective – to compile a collaborative action and solution-based plan with clear realistic timelines. The working document would aid in achieving the goal of leaving no one behind related to current and future water and sanitation in South Africa.
Once the scene was set by DWS, breakaway sessions commenced, grouped into ensuring raw water security and ensuring water and sanitation access and reliability, where WSAs/ local municipalities were in sub-groups from good to critical performing systems. Each session kicked off with a presentation,
containing a proposed plan, followed by facilitated discussions critically evaluating each. An action plan with implementable solutions and realistic draft timelines, was required from each group focused upon five primary pillars namely, an implementation and delivery model, financial viability, technical and operational capacity and efficiency, partnerships and addressing criminality and corruption.
The compiled action plans of all groups were presented, commented on and critically discussed next morning after DWS staff worked till past midnight – this dedication cannot be ignored. The consequent high level action plan and declaration showed that the Water and Sanitation Indaba was not just a talk shop, simply talking around our water challenges and tripling around solutions. The dedication and hard work from all who participated, finally establishing a clear collective vision on how to tackle our various water challenges with practical and cost-effective solutions with realistic timelines.
South Africa needs to be cognisant of the various water realities within the country, according to the writer.
Solution-driven plans with realistic timelines
While urgency exists, we need to be cognisant of the various water realities within the country and that context-specific and cost-effective measures and solutions are required. Research and development have a critical role to play by continuing to establish new and critically evaluating known water challenges.
Importantly, multi- and trans-disciplinary collaboration is an imperative and required to address the issue of working in silos and each one for themselves. Establishing partnerships while working as a collective can assist – it has been done successfully – in either identifying existing practical and implementable solutions or assist in the development of solutions that can be implemented on the ground.
Yes, we need to continue collaborative discussions, research and development of our water issues and challenges to collectively face and respond to our freshwater realities. Yes, the failure to provide water and sanitation access and actual service has been formally acknowledged. However, despite all our differences and the major water challenges we face, all hope is not lost. There is immense investment potential with willing partners – we need to enable investment through collaborative partnerships with sincere intentions for change and progress.
The challenges within the technical and operational capacity and efficiency space can be addressed with partnering with universities and the private sector. Addressing criminality and corruption is an imperative to make progress. The incentives and profits made from ongoing dysfunction – water tankering etc. – needs to change to rewarding the actual delivery of water and sanitation services to all.
There is clear leadership, dedication and a major sincere drive for progress while not mincing words and addressing the various big elephants in the room. The political will of the current ministerial team, the commitment from hard working colleagues at DWS as well as all stakeholders who contributed from various views and professional backgrounds, cannot be left unacknowledged.
The persistent commitment, determination and informed voices of existing changemakers in the water space – whether in the DWS, catchment management agencies and forums, water boards, utilities and service authorities, the private sector, contributing stakeholders, water experts and/or civil society – can no longer be ignored. If we are to leave no one behind and bring life and dignity through providing water and sanitation especially to the vulnerable and poor – the current momentum will continue due to committed voices and actions of changemakers.
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