RAMATEU MONYOKOLO | SA’s water progress honours Freedom Charter vision

Today marks the 71st anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter.

In a country still confronting inequality, poverty and uneven access to basic services, the charter endures as a living framework through which to evaluate both our progress and our shortcomings.

Its relevance lies in its enduring insistence that political freedom must be accompanied by social justice, human dignity and tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.

The democratic constitution that emerged from the liberation struggle gave legal expression to many of the charter’s aspirations, including the recognition of access to sufficient water as a fundamental human right.

This constitutional right is not merely a policy commitment or service delivery obligation. It is a continuation of the Freedom Charter’s vision of a society founded on equality, dignity and social justice.

Access to water and sanitation is not simply a service delivery objective... it is a constitutional imperative.

—  Ramateu Monyokolo

The drafters of the charter understood that democracy would be incomplete if millions remained trapped in deprivation and exclusion.

The charter was both a manifesto of political liberation and a blueprint for a society in which freedom would be measured by the improvement of people’s lives. Human dignity required more than the right to vote. It demanded access to the basic conditions necessary for a decent life.

Few sectors illustrate this vision more clearly than water and sanitation. While the Freedom Charter does not explicitly mention either, its commitment to human dignity and social justice leaves little doubt about their place in the democratic project. Safe drinking water, decent sanitation and healthy living conditions remain indispensable to the charter’s promise of a better life for all.

Under apartheid, infrastructure investment overwhelmingly favoured privileged communities, while millions of black South Africans in townships, informal settlements and rural areas were denied reliable water supplies and adequate sanitation. The consequences were severe, contributing to poor health outcomes and limiting development opportunities.

The democratic breakthrough of 1994 marked a decisive turning point. Guided by the values embodied in the Freedom Charter and later entrenched in the constitution, democratic SA embarked on an ambitious programme of basic service delivery. Millions of South Africans have since gained access to potable water and sanitation services that were previously beyond their reach.

Statistics South Africa’s General Household Survey shows that access to piped or tap water increased from 84.4% of households in 2002 to 87.7% in 2024. Over the same period, the number of households receiving municipal water services increased by approximately 6.3 million, while access to improved sanitation rose from 61.7% to 83.1%.

These gains reflect millions of South Africans whose health, quality of life and economic opportunities have improved through democratic governance and sustained public investment.

Progress has also been supported by institutional reforms. Among the most significant has been the establishment of catchment management agencies, which promote integrated water resource management, stakeholder participation and more sustainable governance of water resources.

Yet the Freedom Charter compels us to measure ourselves not only against where we came from but also against where we aspire to be. Expanding access is not the same as guaranteeing reliable service. Many communities continue to experience intermittent supply, infrastructure failures and declining service quality.

The Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports provide a sobering assessment of these realities. They point to ageing infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, financial constraints, technical skills shortages and governance failures.

The 2023 Blue Drop Report found that 29% of water supply systems were in a critical state, while the No Drop Report revealed that national non-revenue water had risen to 47%. The Green Drop assessment found that 64% of wastewater treatment works were classified as high or critical risk.

These findings do not negate democratic progress. Rather, they illuminate the next frontier of transformation. The task before us is to modernise infrastructure, strengthen technical capacity, improve governance and build capable institutions so that universal access is matched by reliable and sustainable service delivery.

This challenge is compounded by climate change. South Africa is one of the world’s most water-scarce countries, and changing weather patterns are increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts and floods. As population growth and urbanisation place additional pressure on limited water resources, water security is becoming an increasingly urgent national priority.

South Africa has also committed itself to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6, which seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. Achieving this target will require accelerated investment, stronger municipal performance, improved water conservation and enhanced institutional capacity.

There are grounds for confidence and optimism. South Africa possesses substantial technical expertise, robust policy frameworks and institutions capable of driving reform. Major infrastructure projects are being implemented to improve long-term water security, while the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency and the work of CMAs reflect a growing recognition that water security is central to economic growth, social development and national stability.

The Freedom Charter remains relevant because its authors understood that transformation is a process rather than an event. Every household connected to a reliable water supply, every community protected from waterborne disease and every learner attending a school with safe sanitation facilities represents a practical expression of its vision.

Water and sanitation are not merely technical matters. They are instruments of social justice and essential foundations of equality, public health, economic participation and human dignity.

As we honour the legacy of the Freedom Charter, let us recommit ourselves to the principle that access to water and sanitation is not simply a service delivery objective.

It is a constitutional imperative, a development priority and, above all, a matter of justice and human dignity. The Freedom Charter showed us the destination. It remains our responsibility to complete the journey.

• Monyokolo is chairperson of the Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa

Sowetan