Collaboration essential to overcome water challenges
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo has stressed that no single entity can resolve South Africa's deepening water crisis alone, calling instead for broad-based partnerships spanning government, the private sector, and communities to secure the country's water future.
Speaking at the 2026 Future of Sustainability Conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Mahlobo painted a sobering picture of the scale of the challenge facing the nation. The two-day gathering, themed "Africa's Green Horizon: Leading the Global Transition," assembled sustainability leaders, policymakers, business executives, academics, and industry specialists to tackle urgent environmental issues and chart innovative paths forward.
The conference, which was first launched in 2011 through a collaboration between Topco Media and the United Nations ahead of the COP17 climate summit, has since grown into a prominent forum for advancing sustainable solutions across the continent.
Mahlobo identified deteriorating infrastructure, outdated technology, and rapid population growth as core drivers behind the water supply difficulties plaguing much of the country. He also pointed to climate variability, accelerating urbanisation, river pollution, operational shortcomings in certain wastewater treatment facilities, and deep-seated disparities in water access — particularly affecting rural and historically disadvantaged communities.
"The water challenges confronting South Africa are well known, but their seriousness demands that we name them plainly and confront them honestly. There is no single institution, municipality, department, company or country that can solve the water challenge alone."
The Deputy Minister argued that overcoming these obstacles requires a broad coalition operating at local, national, and international levels. He called for alignment across government departments, water boards, municipalities, regulators, state entities, research institutions, financiers, and the private sector, insisting that the era of fragmented governance and siloed planning must end.
Technology, data, and community involvement
Mahlobo also championed data-driven approaches and modern technology as vital tools for improving accountability and operational efficiency within the water sector. He advocated for diversifying the country's water supply through groundwater development, wastewater reuse, and integrated urban water systems to ease the burden on conventional sources.
"What gets measured gets managed, and what gets managed well gets sustained. Water security requires alignment across government departments, water boards, municipalities, regulators, state entities, research institutions, financiers and the private sector. We must end the old culture of silo governance."
Noting that the United Nations has designated 2026 as the Water Year, Mahlobo reaffirmed government's dedication to upholding access to water as a constitutional right. He urged South Africans to rethink their water consumption habits and embrace conservation practices to ensure more equitable and sustainable use of the resource.
The Deputy Minister further emphasised that communities must be recognised as active participants in building water resilience rather than mere recipients of services. He noted that organised, informed, and included communities serve as powerful agents for protecting infrastructure, strengthening accountability, encouraging behavioural shifts, safeguarding local ecosystems, and detecting system failures earlier.
"Communities are not passive beneficiaries… they are co-creators of resilience. When communities are organised, informed and included, they become a force multiplier for sustainability."
Mahlobo concluded his address with an impassioned appeal for decisive action, urging all stakeholders to work together with urgency to build a better and more water-secure world for generations to come.
South Africa's water crisis directly affects millions of households, farmers, and businesses that depend on reliable supply for daily life and economic activity. Deteriorating infrastructure and unequal access hit rural and disadvantaged communities hardest, while industries face rising operational risks. The push for cross-sector collaboration, alternative supply methods such as groundwater development and wastewater reuse, and stronger community involvement could reshape water governance, though meaningful progress will depend on sustained coordination and investment in the years ahead.
