The inaugural Awsisa Global South water and sanitation dialogue is taking place at Emperor’s Palace in Ekurhuleni. The aim of the dialogue is to bring together stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector – including government officials, the private sector, researchers, and water governance experts – to discuss and find solutions to water insecurity and poor sanitation challenges that confront the developing world.
Awsisa – the Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of SA – was formed by organisations committed to advancing SA’s water and sanitation sector. These include water boards such as Rand Water, Overberg Water, Magalies Water, Amatola Water, uMngeni-uThukela Water, and Lepelle Northern Water; catchment management agencies, such as the Breede Gouritz CMA and Vaal Central Water; the Water Research Commission; and infrastructure specialists such as the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority.
Together, these institutions represent a collective force dedicated to sustainable water resource management, innovation, and ensuring equitable service delivery across the country. Deputy president Paul Mashatile delivered a virtual address on the second day of the dialogue, in which he highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach in tackling the water and sanitation challenges confronting SA.
He contended that the shared vulnerabilities encountered by African countries necessitate a common understanding and pursuit of strong water governance on the continent. This line of thinking was echoed by other speakers, including Rand Water CEO, Sipho Mosai, who emphasised the importance of continental benchmarking.
The opening address by Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero emphasised a shared responsibility for sustainable urban living, imploring residents of the city to protect water infrastructure from theft and vandalism.
While these addresses hit the right note, they will mean nothing if there’s no political will to deal with poor water governance that is facing municipalities across the country.
SA is classified as a water-scarce country, with an average annual rainfall that is about half the global average and highly uneven rainfall distribution across regions. This scarcity is exacerbated by periodic droughts, climate change, and increasing demand from a growing population and economy.
But the most significant challenge is poor water governance at the municipal level, and nowhere is the problem as pronounced as it is in Gauteng. The province, which accounts for about 35% of SA’s gross domestic product, has a severe water loss problem, with roughly 46% of it classified as non-revenue water due to leaks, ageing infrastructure, and other issues.
Physical losses from leaks account for about 23.7% of this loss, while commercial losses like theft and billing errors make up another 9.2%.
This wastage is a direct cause of the current water crisis, poor water governance and criminality. Its impact on the metro’s economy, and SA broadly, is immeasurable.
Johannesburg, the wealthiest city in Africa, has recently been the site of violent protests over water shortages, while some areas in Tshwane have had water challenges for more than a decade. The township of Hammanskraal in the north of the administrative capital was the epicentre of a devastating cholera outbreak in 2023 that claimed the lives of nearly 50 residents.
Ekurhuleni, known as the “workshop of Africa” for its large concentration of factories and warehouses, is the region’s manufacturing and logistics hub and is especially affected by water security challenges, which are debilitating businesses and impacting jobs at a time when the unemployment crisis is tearing our country asunder.
While the dialogue could bring solutions to many of these challenges, their implementation ultimately depends on the political will of our leaders. Without that, this important dialogue will be a lost opportunity for SA.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.