President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that securing access to water for all South Africans is an imperative for a dignified life, and a necessary tribute to South Africa’s “founding father”, Nelson Mandela.

Writing in his weekly newsletter, the president recalled that he had identified the country’s water crisis as a national priority in the State of the Nation Address earlier this year, and that this was now being put into practice through the new National Water Access Acceleration Programme (NWAAP).

This was launched at Hammanskraal in Gauteng on Saturday (18 July), otherwise known as Mandela Day; three years ago, this was the site of a cholera outbreak which resulted in a number of deaths.

The NWAAP involves providing decentralised water supply solutions to underserved communities. In Hammanskraal, this took the form of boreholes and a new water treatment plant. In other localities, initiatives include rainwater harvesting and rehabilitating decrepit infrastructure. These projects are meant to be tailored to local needs and conditions, and to circumvent the roll-out periods that come with large infrastructure developments.

Ramaphosa noted that South Africa has made significant progress in providing water over the past three decades, and now 82% of households had access to a piped supply in their homes or in their yards. However, this was now challenged by the failings of local government:

“We must acknowledge,” he wrote, “that in too many municipalities, government has not succeeded with the maintenance of infrastructure, to manage water services properly and to respond with sufficient urgency. Parts of our country are experiencing worsening water shortages and deteriorating water quality. In some places, ageing water infrastructure has collapsed.”

He pledged that the solution was “sustainable, long-term reform”.

The immediate relief measures, such the initiatives in Hammanskraal, would continue, along with reform to legislation and regulation. The National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency would coordinate large-scale investments, and the Water Services Amendment Bill will hold municipal managers personally liable for failure to manage water infrastructure.

The government would commit R156 billion to water and sanitation over the coming three years.

“Water security is among government’s most urgent priorities,” Ramaphosa continued. “Households and businesses experiencing shortages and outages have had enough, and underserved communities across the country still waiting for taps to be installed 32 years into democracy are justifiably tired of waiting.”

Water has emerged as a key concern in South Africa as the local government elections approach. Highlighting the numerous leaks and blockages in Johannesburg’s systems has been central to Helen Zille’s mayoral campaign (she is running on a Democratic Alliance ticket to become mayor of South Africa’s biggest city). It is estimated that close to half of the water in that metro is lost to leaks and infrastructural collapse.

This has echoes of South Africa’s experience with electricity shortages (an issue still not fully addressed).

Ironically, the provision of water during the tenure of President Nelson Mandela was regarded as a seminal success. Under the media-savvy direction of the late Prof Kader Asmal, water resources were nationalised.

As with much else, state mismanagement undermined the gains that were made in the early period, with a failure to maintain the infrastructure and, consequently, the quality of the country’s limited water supplies. A particular disregard was shown for technical expertise in the field, and officials were unwilling to listen to their warnings.

“Our ultimate goal is not merely to get over the current crisis,” Ramaphosa concluded, “but to fulfil Madiba’s vision of all South Africans enjoying their constitutionally enshrined right to access to water and of this right being secured for generations to come. Water is dignity and therefore central to Mandela’s legacy.”

Whether this is achievable will depend on whether South Africa’s government is able to take a more effective approach to the governance of its water resources and infrastructure, and of the skills that are needed for them. 

Marius Roodt, deputy editor of The Common Sense, said that the struggles with water provision were emblematic of how South Africa is lagging other countries in the world.

“One of South Africa’s primary problems is one of basic infrastructure, making sure that people have basic electricity and water provision, while in other countries policymakers aren’t dealing with issues like that, but rather contemplating how to manage the artificial intelligence revolution. Some people will argue that South Africa is a developing country and that this can’t be helped, but that is untrue. India, which on a per-capita basis is much poorer than South Africa, is putting spacecraft on the Moon, while this country can’t even make sure people have clean water to drink,” Roodt said.