SA will not run out of water, says Mahlobo, but people have doubts

Water and sanitation deputy minister David Mahlobo has vowed that South Africa will not run out of water, despite mounting pressure on the country’s water infrastructure, which has prompted the government to commit billions of rand to securing water supplies.

Speaking during a media briefing on the ANC’s local government election manifesto review at the party’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg on Sunday, Mahlobo acknowledged that water remains one of the country’s most urgent service delivery challenges.

He was accompanied by electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and human settlements minister Thembi Simelane.

Access to basic services such as water and sanitation, energy and healthcare, among others, has become a key election issue before the much-anticipated municipal elections on November 4.

As part of a broader public infrastructure investment drive, the government has allocated R156bn over the next three years to water and sanitation infrastructure to improve service delivery and strengthen long-term water security.

“By 2025, access to water stood at 91.3% of households nationally, while access to sanitation stood at 85.6%. These figures demonstrate the significant expansion of basic services achieved by the democratic government since 1994. However, access statistics must be considered alongside the lived experience of communities where water supplies remain intermittent, infrastructure is ageing or deteriorating, and some households continue to experience water insecurity,” said Mahlobo, a water scientist.

“The task before government is, therefore, not only to expand access but to ensure that water and sanitation services are reliable, sustainable, and capable of meeting the needs of a growing population. The ANC-led government has recognised the seriousness of the water challenge and has acted to place it firmly at the centre of the national agenda.”

Mahlobo said the establishment of the presidential water crisis committee and the water task team reflected the decision to provide stronger political leadership and co-ordination in addressing water and sanitation challenges.

The water crisis committee, established to co-ordinate government efforts in addressing water scarcity, was dealing with immediate challenges in the worst-affected municipalities while changing the way water infrastructure was funded and managed.

“This work is being undertaken precisely because government understands that the challenge cannot be left to municipalities to resolve on their own where local capacity is inadequate. It requires co-ordinated action across all spheres of government, stronger institutions, investment in infrastructure and decisive intervention where municipalities are unable or unwilling to fulfil their responsibilities,” Mahlobo said.

The water challenges buffeting the country saw Johannesburg, the country’s largest metro and economic and financial hub, go without water for weeks earlier this year, prompting Ramaphosa to establish the crisis committee.

Mahlobo said the government would build more dams to ensure water security. It would also explore groundwater, reuse, and desalination and address nonrevenue water while taking action against polluters.

The department was working with the Special Investigating Unit and the Hawks to track and prosecute those who vandalised water infrastructure.

On sanitation, Mahlobo said access to improved sanitation had increased from 61.7% of households in 2002 to about 84% in 2025. He said 76.3% of South Africans had access to safely managed sanitation in 2024.

“If local government is not fixed, the delivery of water and sanitation can be compromised,” Mahlobo said.

Meanwhile, Ramokgopa said fixing the energy supply was part of the renewal agenda, stressing that load-shedding was avoidable and describing it as a function of corruption.

“We are in a good space now; we are overgenerating. That’s how far we have come. By July, the energy availability factor was over 80%,” he said, adding the government was now working to end load-shedding.

“The improvement in the electricity system must also translate into relief for communities that continue to experience load reduction. Government has made significant progress in this regard, with load reduction having ended in seven of the nine provinces. The work is not yet complete. We are accelerating efforts to end load reduction in the two remaining provinces, namely Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, where communities continue to experience interruptions,” he said.

“We accept that the cost of electricity is the elephant in the room. Average households are finding it difficult to purchase electricity. Since 2007 electricity tariffs have increased by over 907%, and over the same period inflation has increased by 150%, so it’s eroding the disposable income of households.”

Business Day