CAPE TOWN, Western Cape — South Africa’s deteriorating water infrastructure is primarily the result of poor governance, mismanagement, and a critical lack of technical capacity, according to Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina. Speaking on the sidelines of the Water Institute of South Africa’s 2026 Biennial Conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Majodina addressed the systemic challenges driving the national water crisis and the collaborative steps being taken to resolve them.
Minister Majodina identified three core reasons for the country’s failing water systems. First, she cited a fundamental lack of governance and commitment. Second, she pointed to widespread deficiencies in water management. Third, she highlighted a severe absence of technical capacity within various municipalities, noting that without adequately skilled and capacitated personnel, local governments cannot effectively detect when aging infrastructure requires replacement.
The conference proceedings follow closely on the heels of a recent report by the Office of the Public Protector, which found that the City of Cape Town failed to adequately maintain water and sewer infrastructure in the Langa and Khayelitsha townships.
Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, the Public Protector, emphasized the severity of the findings, stating, “The city has not been able to fully repair the sewer infrastructure at Langa Flats, fire rails and cracked wall housing unit walls. Common areas are still untidy.”
In response to the Public Protector’s findings, the City of Cape Town indicated that some of the concerns raised in the report have already been resolved.
Despite these localized efforts, Minister Majodina emphasized that a national intervention is required, issuing a call for all municipalities across the country to be held accountable. She revealed that the presidency has actively engaged with municipal Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), requesting comprehensive maps detailing the exact locations and conditions of their water infrastructure.
Acknowledging that many municipalities lack the necessary technical capabilities to execute these assessments independently, Majodina confirmed that the national government is stepping in to bridge the gap.
“We are now assisting them through our water boards and water entities to assist municipalities,” Majodina explained. She detailed that this support includes helping local governments scan the environment to detect hidden leaks and appointing specialized water boards to directly attend to and resolve these critical infrastructure issues.
The strategic push aims to transform reactive maintenance into proactive infrastructure management, ensuring that technical expertise is deployed where it is needed most to secure South Africa’s water future.